A drought has been declared across a large part of England as the driest summer in decades leaves millions facing water restrictions.
Parts of the southwest and swathes of southern, eastern and central England are to be moved into drought status, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says.
Yorkshire Water is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban as another heatwave scorches the country after months of low rainfall.
The restrictions will come into effect from 26 August, the company’s director, Neil Dewis, said, citing fears over falling water stocks and a need for caution over “clean water supplies and long-term river health” as the basis for its decision.
On Thursday, experts warned that only “exceptional rainfall” in these worst affected parts of the country over the autumn and winter would ensure that water resources returned to normal before next year, sparking concern that restrictions could last into 2023.
“The autumn-winter period as a whole will be critical to dictating what the water resources position will be as we go into 2023,” said Jamie Hannaford, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
