Dry weather pushes river levels lower amid drought fears

In its latest drought briefing, the government agency said all areas had seen less than 1mm of rain, except for the South West which received 1mm of rain in the past week.

Wales has had just 27 per cent of the average rainfall for March while East Anglia has seen two thirds of the normal rainfall for the month, most of which fell in the first week. Most areas have seen less than half the long term average rain.

The Environment Agency said most reservoirs were now below normal levels and river flows were decreasing. All rivers are experiencing lower than normal flows, with two-thirds “exceptionally” low.

Rivers are at similar levels to what they were at the same time in March 1976, a year when the country was hit by severe drought.

The latest briefing comes after a week of warm, sunny weather, which saw record breaking temperatures in Scotland, and parts of Yorkshire join the South East and East Anglia in an official state of drought.

Parts of the Midlands and South West are also continuing to experience dry weather.

The Environment Agency said small streams and ponds were drying up in Herefordshire, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire, hitting wildlife including fish.

And it warned that farmers in East Anglia would be unlikely to be allowed to abstract water from the ground or rivers to use for irrigating their crops with sprays.

Helen Vale, national drought co-ordinator, said: “With the drought widening to affect parts of Yorkshire, it is more important than ever that we all use water wisely and use less of it.

“The amount we use at home and in our businesses has a direct effect on the amount of water available in rivers and for wildlife.

“We also expect water companies to do more to tackle leaks and continue their campaigns to encourage customers to use water wisely.”

Water companies across England and Wales leaked more than 3.3 billion litres a day in 2010/11, according to Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry. Total water demand is around 17.5 billion litres a day, according to industry body Water UK.