Drought spreads to Yorkshire as reservoirs stay 21 points below normal

Yorkshire has officially entered drought, bringing the number of areas of England in drought to 11, as the Environment Agency warns that recent rain is not enough to undo the effects of a very dry year.

The agency declared drought in Yorkshire on Friday 9 October, after low levels in reservoirs and rivers. Yorkshire joins all of central, southern and eastern England, including the area around Birmingham, while the North East and North West remain in prolonged dry weather.

Reservoirs well below normal

In its latest weekly report, covering 2 to 8 October, the agency said reservoir storage across England had fallen to 54 per cent, 21 percentage points below the average for the time of year. Rainfall increased in most areas compared with the previous week, but conditions remain challenging.

"Continued below average rainfall means the drought is far from over, and reservoir storage and groundwater levels will need sustained wet weather before the picture improves," an Environment Agency spokesperson said.

"We cannot quickly reverse the effects"

Vicki Townend, the agency's area environment manager for Yorkshire, said the area had had its fifth driest April to September on record. "Even if we receive a few weeks of rain, we cannot quickly reverse the effects of the lack of rainfall during a very dry spring and summer," she said.

"As we see more impacts from climate change, heavier rainfall and drier summers will become more frequent," she said. "We encourage people to be aware of the impacts of drought and use a little less water to speed up the recovery from drought."

Three droughts in five years

The agency says the current drought means England has had three in the past five years: 2022, 2025 and 2026. Climate change is bringing longer, hotter summers and more intense winter rainfall, making both drought and flooding more likely, and the two can happen at the same time.

Earlier this month, the agency said England would need 120 per cent of average rainfall over the coming seven months for the whole country to be out of drought by next spring.

What is being done

The National Drought Group, which brings together the Government, the Met Office, regulators, water companies, farmers, the Canal and River Trust and conservation groups, is now meeting weekly. Water companies are expected to follow their drought plans, fix leaks quickly and reduce demand, and the agency is processing applications for drought permits.

What it means in Birmingham

Birmingham gets most of its water from Wales, through the Elan Valley reservoirs and the aqueduct that has carried water to the city since 1904, with supplies stored at Frankley and Bartley reservoirs on the city's edge. Severn Trent asks customers to keep using water wisely.

The Met Office expects changeable weather through mid-October, with spells of rain. The agency says it will take a sustained wet autumn and winter for rivers, reservoirs and groundwater to recover.