Drought fears after Yorkshire Water warn reservoir levels are lower than normal

March, April and May have all seen very low levels of rainfall, and although major drought alerts have not yet been issued, Yorkshire Water is warning the public to be careful with their water usage ahead of potential shortages later in the summer.

The heatwave as well as an increase in gardening during lockdown has seen demand rise as customers water plants, fill paddling pools and pressure-wash their driveways.

Yorkshire Water said: “We’ve all been enjoying the lovely weather over the past few months and it’s definitely helped boost everyone’s morale during what is a really difficult time. However, this good weather has meant we haven’t had much rain over the past few months and the levels of water in our reservoirs are lower than they normally would be.

"We’re also seeing people use more water than they normally would. Life is very different at the moment and we’re spending more time at home and in our gardens watering plants, filling paddling pools and pressure washing outside areas. We have some water saving tips on our website to help you continue to look after your garden and enjoy water in a sustainable way.

"We have a team of experts who work hard to make sure we keep Yorkshire’s water supply resilient. We have the ability to move water around our underground grid network and utilise different options to help us keep taps flowing but we need our customers to play their part too. Small changes like turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, having 4-minute showers instead of baths, and filling your watering can while the shower is warming up, all helps.”

Yorkshire Water has yet to re-open car parks at their reservoirs to visitors, with sites such as Scammonden Water, Cod Beck, Fewston and Swinsty still out of bounds to drivers.

Around 50 drivers from the Teesside area were fined for double parking on a road near Cod Beck in the North York Moors National Park during the Bank Holiday weekend.