Following swaths of England being declared drought areas due to sweltering temperatures and no rain since June, the biggest water provider in the UK today issued a grim warning to consumers as hundreds of customers ran out of water.
Thames Water has texted customers in north London, Oxfordshire, and Surrey informing them of low pressure, dry taps, and limited bottled water if needed.
The company is likely to implement a hosepipe restriction shortly.
Following a series of significant leaks in the capital and Kent this week, a fresh burst pipe is presently affecting residences and businesses in the north London neighbourhoods of Cricklewood and Kilburn.
Another significant leak between Oxford and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, also created issues across a sizable region.
Tankers were brought in to pump more water “into the local supply network” as a result of “technical issues” at the Netley Mill water treatment works in Surrey, which supplies 8,500 properties in the county.
Residents were also given the option of using bottled water for cooking, drinking, and hand washing.
The firm, which has 15 million users, wrote in a text message to Oxfordshire clients: “Demand for water locally is at an all-time high, therefore you may have issues with your supply.”
Customers in Surrey who were without water were informed that a station selling bottled water had been established for anyone in need of short-term supply.
Water must be used for necessities. Please take just what you need and exercise consideration.
Residents of London, the South West, Southern, and Central England, as well as the East of England, have been placed under a drought alert and are being urged to conserve water due to the driest summer in 50 years, which is expected to continue with temperatures of 35°C [95°F] today, 37°C [98°F] tomorrow, and 35°C [95°F] on Sunday.
An Aldi supermarket in London posted signs restricting consumers to three to five bottles of drinking water apiece as Britain sweltered in temperatures higher than some Caribbean islands.
The notifications were eventually removed by the retailer.
The formal drought designation made today does not immediately result in a restriction on water consumption in the eight regions of England mentioned.
However, it will put further pressure on more water providers to prohibit the use of sprinklers and hoses by consumers.
Another practise that may soon be prohibited is washing automobiles with buckets of tap water.
Additionally, millions may be prohibited from washing any cars, buildings, or windows if there is no rain in the next weeks. Additionally, it can include water restriction for homes.
The British public has previously been advised to take brief showers instead of baths, use less water when boiling the kettle, only run full loads of laundry through the washing machine, and only run the dishwasher once or twice daily.
The government has promised, however, that there won’t be another instance of the kind of widespread water shortage that occurred in 1976, when standpipes had to be used by millions of people.
We are more prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed, said Water Minister Steve Double.
“All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe,” he added.
Although the previous drought in 2018 was quickly ended by heavy rain, the current one is the first to be officially declared in the UK.
However, despite the possibility of torrential downpours and thunderstorms on Monday, much of southern England is not likely to experience significant rainfall until September.
After a series of significant leaks in recent weeks that wasted millions of gallons of water, the action will also put on on water firms to take more measures to save supplies.
Grain, fruit, and vegetable farming have all suffered as a result of the heat and dry circumstances.
The National Farmers Union also warned that tinder-dry standing crops and parched grass presented a significant danger of flames spreading.
Britons were asked to refrain from using grills out of caution since fire departments are already overburdened.
Around 17 million individuals have already been subject to hosepipe prohibitions, and an additional 15 million might do so shortly.
The driest July on record in several areas of southern England, and the lowest reservoir levels in the previous 30 years.
Today, Yorkshire Water announced a hosepipe restriction for its five million customers, making it the sixth operator in England and Wales to do so.
Hosepipe prohibitions have been declared by Southern Water, South East Water, Welsh Water, and Thames Water, either right away or in the next weeks.
Both South West Water and Severn Trent have said they’ll impose limits as well. They would protect more than 32 million people when combined.
Today’s high is predicted to reach 95°F (35°C), making the nation hotter than certain Caribbean islands and endangering crops including potatoes, apples, hops, broccoli, and sprouts.
The National Drought Group has officially declared a drought in some areas of the South West, southern and central England, and the East of England as a result of the conditions, which have virtually deprived some regions of rainfall the entire summer.
The Environment Agency has assured the public that life-sustaining water supplies are secure, but the change could result in additional measures like hosepipe bans.
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, water providers, the Environment Agency, the National Farmers’ Union, Natural England, the Consumer Council for Water, the water services regulator Ofwat, Water UK, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Angling Trust, and the Rivers Trust are all represented on the NDG.
The government, the Environment Agency, and other organisations are already taking steps to minimise the effects, according to Water Minister Steve Double.
It is their responsibility to preserve such supplies, he said, adding that “all water providers have told us that key supplies are still safe.”
“We are more prepared than ever before for dry spells, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed,” the statement said.
According to the most recent EA data, August’s rainfall totals in England varied from 12% of the long-term average in the north east to 0% in the southeast and south west.
In the meantime, data on river flow showed that 29% of measurement sites had “exceptionally low” readings, placing nearly 90% of them below average.
It follows the driest first half of the year since 1976 and the driest July on record for some regions.
Welsh Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, and South East Water are the four water companies that have enacted hosepipe bans. Yorkshire Water has announced that a ban will begin on August 26.
The agricultural sector has also been negatively impacted by the heat and dryness.
The NFU reports that crops reliant on irrigation, such as field vegetables and potatoes, as well as crops like sugar beet and maize, are under stress due to a lack of rain.
Tom Bradshaw, the vice president of the NFU, described the situation as “hugely problematic” for farmers who faced running out of irrigation water and having to give their animals winter feed because there wasn’t enough grass.
The NFU said that parched grass and standing crops that were “tinder dry” increased the likelihood of wildfires spreading.
“While we are likely to see more flames owing to the present circumstances, it is hard to determine whether this will be greater than when the nation had 40-degree temperatures,” said Mark Hardingham, leader of the National Fire Chiefs Council.
The combination of temperature and wind speed, which will aid in the spread of fires and make accidents more difficult to control and put out, is now the greater danger.
He did, nonetheless, add that the brigades were “fully equipped and have strategies in place” to react.
Due to the imminent drought, panic purchasers have returned and this time they are wanting water bottles.
Now that the shelves are bare, Brits are going back to their pre-Covid anxiety and attempting to stock up on water before it’s too late.
I’m going to run out and buy 6 months’ worth of bottled water right away, a user tweeted.
But it appears that some people are already stocking up on supplies, as reported by another user who claimed to have seen someone at the supermarket with two trolleys full of bottled water.
A hosepipe ban will be implemented by Yorkshire Water starting on August 26. According to Neil Dewis, the director of water, some areas of the county experienced their lowest rainfall totals dating back more than 130 years.
Customers are prohibited from using a hosepipe to fill swimming pools, clean cars, water gardens, or clean their homes under the restrictions.
They may nevertheless carry out those tasks while using non-tap water, water from a bucket or watering can, or water from taps.
Businesses can only use a hosepipe if it is specifically related to their business.
Since records have been kept, July has been particularly dry in parts of southern England, and reservoir levels have dropped to their lowest levels in 30 years.
According to sources yesterday night, the drought declaration will be a formality.
The Met Office has issued a four-day amber warning for excessive heat for most of England and Wales until Sunday because weekend highs of 99°F (37°C) are expected with potential health effects and transport disruptions.
The Met Office said that warnings would be issued for northern regions of the UK next week due to concerns that rain following the dry weather may lead to flash flooding.
Farmers like TV personality Jeremy Clarkson have already started harvesting their crops early as a result of this.
Paul Davies, the chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said to the BBC that the rain might be the wrong kind because it is falling so quickly and heavily.
In contrast to other areas, which may see very little water, “when it comes against the hard ground then the water flows very fast, taking debris and causing flash flooding.”
The UK would be experiencing its first drought since 2018; however, that one was quickly ended by torrential rain.
The decision will be made public following today’s meeting of the National Drought Group, which is chaired by the Environment Agency and comprises water companies as well as organisations like the National Farmers’ Union and the Angling Trust.
Although a formal declaration of drought won’t force water firms to take any particular action, it does give them a “feeling of urgency,” according to government officials.
A representative for the Environment Agency said that companies were not required to take any action.
Water companies in England and Wales have come under fire for allowing 681 million gallons of water—equivalent to 1,245 complete Olympic swimming pools—to escape from their pipes per day.
Rishi Sunak, a contender for the Tory leadership, promised Wednesday that if elected prime minister, “nothing is off the table” in terms of taking action against water firms that are leaking.
However, supporters of Liz Truss said that since he had previously backed hosepipe restrictions, this amounted to a policy U-turn.
It will take “extraordinary” rains over the next one to three months, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, to restock water supplies.
Huge portions of England seem yellow and parched in satellite pictures due to the very dry weather.
The Sun reported that several shop aisles had their water bottles completely removed.
Bans on hosepipes have an impact on farmers as well, which might endanger harvests.
We are beginning to see genuine challenges for crops like potatoes, said Jerry Knox, a professor of agricultural water management at Cranfield University, in a statement to the Guardian. Reduced yields and especially decreased quality are to be expected.
According to Professor Jerry Knox of Cranfield University, “farmers are already giving up ambitions to cultivate brassicas like cabbage,” potatoes are expected to become more costly. “The fall and winter will be crucial to getting everything back to normal.”