Yorkshire weather: Drought fears grow as country has one of its driest springs on record

The Environment Agency has warned of a “medium” risk of drought in England this summer without sustained rainfall, after the country experienced its driest start to spring, in March and April, in 61 years.

The regulator has said there are currently no hosepipe bans planned, but warned water companies might have to implement measures including restrictions in the months ahead.

The regulator has urged utilities to take action to cut leaks and help customers save water and Thames Water is among the firms warning of the potential for water restrictions for its 16 million customers if the weather stays dry.

It comes as dramatic pictures showing the state of reservoirs in the region emerged.

The UK’s record-breaking dry start to the year is illustrated in images of the Howden and Woodhead reservoirs, in the Peak District, Derbyshire.

Water company Severn Trent has said it is working to ‘future proof’ its water supply from the impacts of climate change and population growth.

According to the water company, Howden Reservoir can hold up to 8.9 million litres of water. But, as of May 12 the reservoir was holding just 56 per cent of its capacity, or five million litres, compared with 75 per cent at the same point in 2024.

Reservoirs in the Pennines managed by water company United Utilities, such as Woodhead, were at just 56 per cent full according to the company - compared to 83 per cent at the same point last year.

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “The country has had the driest March in 60 years, the sunniest April on record, followed by more extremely warm and dry weather in May.

“With less rain and drier weather, there’s of course less water in rivers and reservoirs.

“So, while customers can be confident in their water supply, as water is a precious resource, we’re encouraging everyone to be water wise as the warm and dry weather continues.

“There are simple ways to make a difference, like keeping a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap, using a watering can instead of a hose and installing a water butt to collect future rainwater for the garden.

“Not only are these wins for the environment, but they help save money too if you’re on a meter.

“We’re always investing to future proof the region’s water supply to tackle the twin challenge of climate change and population growth, investing over £400m into laying new water pipes and to cut leakage.

“In fact, we’ve reduced leaks by a record 16 per cent in five years – fixing 60,000 leaks last year alone.

“Every day we deliver two billion litres of water to 4.6 million homes, seamlessly moving water round our network and investing in new water sources such as our brand new Witches Oak works which comes on line in July.

“It’s the combination of our continued investment, the dedication of our teams working around the clock to manage water supplies, and the thoughtful choices our customers make to use water wisely, that has created our strong track record of not having to impose a hosepipe ban in the region for 30 years.

“Rest assured we’ll be doing everything possible our side to continue that, and we really appreciate our customers’ continued support in this as well.”

It is a marked change in the weather after England endured the wettest 12 months from October 2023 to September 2024, causing devastating flooding and leaving farmers struggling to get crops into the ground.

And experts warn the extremes are a sign of things to come with climate change.

North-west and north-east England have both seen their driest start to a calendar year since 1929, the Environment Agency (EA) said, while England as a whole has experienced its driest February to April period since 1956.

Water levels in April were at their lowest on record at six EA monitoring sites across the north of England.

There were record lows on the Don at Doncaster in South Yorkshire, the River Swale at Crakehill Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, the South Tyne at Haydon Bridge in Northumberland, the Wharfe at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, the Wear at Witton Park in Lancashire and the Mersey at Ashton Weir in Greater Manchester.

The River Dove in central England, the Tyne in north-east England and the Lune in north-west England were all classed as exceptionally low for the time of year.

England’s overall reservoir storage stood at 84 per cent at the end of April, lower than at this time of year in the drought summer of 2022.

But in north-west England it was 73 per cent, while Haweswater and Thirlmere reservoirs in Cumbria were at 62 per cent, due to a combination of low river levels and planned maintenance earlier in the year, the data show.

Figures covering spring so far – March 1 to May 11 – also show that south-east England recorded only 34.9mm of rain in this period, the fourth lowest total since daily data began in 1931, while north-east England saw 39.5mm from March 1 to May 11 this year – the lowest since 1938.

With the dry weather, households in some parts of the country are being warned of the potential for usage restrictions later in the year.

In an appearance before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston said the company is doing “all we need to” to prepare for potential water shortages, and had learned from 2022’s drought year when it came close to running out of water.

But he said: “I am confident we won’t run out of water, I’m not confident we won’t have to restrict usage, because that will depend on what the weather does and what rainfall happens between now and the summer.”

And a spokesperson for industry body Water UK said: “Following the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years, water companies have been taking two actions: first, they are setting new records for repairing leaks; and second, they are moving water across their regions to relieve the driest areas.”

Water UK also said customers could help leave more water in the environment by making small changes at home and in the garden, with tips on its Water’s Worth Saving website, such as watering plants in the garden, moving pots into the shade and letting lawns go brown as they would recover when it rains.

The National Trust which manages land, coasts and gardens across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said the spring had been “incredible” for flowers with brilliant displays of cherry blossoms, bluebells, apple blossom and hawthorn – likely due to last year’s wet weather followed by recent sunshine.

But Rebecca Bevan, the Trust’s senior national consultant on plant health and sustainability, said: “With this year’s spring set to become one of the driest on record, this initial display is likely to be followed by less good performance into the summer as many trees and other plants will be put under stress by the lack of rain.

“Drought conditions can lead to slow growth, poor flowering and an increased risk of diseases such as blackspot and mildew.”

She added: “Gardeners are urged not to resort to watering with mains water however, as this will deplete reserves needed for agriculture and wildlife – installing water butts is the best way to catch any rain we do get for use in the garden.”

Environment Agency deputy director of water, Richard Thompson, said: “The changing climate means we will see more summer droughts in the coming decades.

“The last two years were some of the wettest on record for England but drier conditions at the start of this year mean a drought is a possibility and we need to be prepared.

“It’s heartening to see more people looking to reduce their water use and we expect water companies to do more to cut leakage and roll out smart meters.”

Meanwhile, the Met Office says the driest spring so far in more than a century is continuing as some farmers hope for “substantial” rain amid drought concerns.

So far this spring, 80.6mm of rain has been recorded for the UK, nearly 20mm less than the record low for the full season of 100.7mm set in 1852.

With two weeks of May left, the Met Office said it is too early to say how spring (March, April and May) as a whole will rank, but added that the high pressure bringing dry and warm conditions looks set to persist through this week and into the weekend.

The national weather service said on Wednesday that changeable conditions could arrive at the end of the next week.

“At the moment, the indications are that as we move towards the end of next week, we could start to see some more changeable conditions moving in from the west, which would bring some fresh temperatures and potentially something in the way of measurable rain,” Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said.

“There are a couple of spells where we might see some very light showers at times in places over the next week or so, but nothing meaningful.

“And obviously sectors such as agriculture are really looking now for some meaningful rain.”

Rachel Hallos, vice president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said: “The lack of any substantial rain over the past few weeks is starting to raise a few concerns although the picture across farming sectors is mixed.

“Farmers in some parts of the country have started irrigating much earlier than normal, but thankfully reservoirs are full following the wet autumn and winter and there are good stores of groundwater.

“The extreme weather patterns we now regularly experience are impacting our ability to feed the nation. As we highlight in the NFU Blueprints for Growth, the Government needs to recognise water for food production.

“This should include access to water in times of shortage to be secured through policies that support investment in water storage and water-use efficiency on farms, plus support for innovation in more water efficient crops and farming systems.”

The Environment Agency has warned of a “medium” risk of drought in England this summer without sustained rainfall.

The Met Office said the driver for the prolonged warm and very dry spell has been high pressure.

Mr Claydon said: “It has been what’s called a blocking high, which is when an area of high pressure becomes established and then essentially reinforces itself and bats away areas of low pressure, which would traditionally bring us more changeable conditions – fresher temperatures, for example, more spells of cloud and rain.

“Essentially we’ve had fairly blocked high pressure, really from February.”

Temperatures are hovering around the May average high of 17.1C in the east and north east of England because of onshore breeze and building cloud, the Met Office said, but are a little above the average elsewhere in the UK.

The temperatures fall some way short of the record high for this month of 32.8C, recorded in Regent’s Park on May 29 1944.

Responding to farmers’ concerns, a Government spokesperson said: “Our water infrastructure is crumbling after years of underinvestment, with population growth and climate change adding further strain.

“We are monitoring water levels and expect water companies to cut leaks and take action to protect supplies.

“Over £104 billion of private sector investment has been secured to fund essential infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs, to help secure our future water supply for farmers.”