Households and water companies have been urged to focus on saving water now as officials prepare for another dry, hot summer of droughts – despite record rainfall last month.
The National Drought Group (NDG) is already making plans for a “worst case scenario” of the country experiencing a repeat of last year’s heatwaves and water shortages.
A meeting of the group on Monday heard from experts that the country cannot rely on the weather alone to keep drought at bay and that firms and individuals should “focus on preserving water now to get ahead of future dry spells”.
England had its wettest March in 40 years last month, with Wales and Northern Ireland also experiencing one of the 10 wettest on record.
Met Office data up to 30 March showed 111.3mm of rain fell during the month, 91% more than the average.
But the NDG pointed out the month before had also been the driest February in 30 years, while two areas of England – East Anglia and Cornwall – still remain in “drought” status.
The warnings follow the searing hot summer last year when droughts were declared across the country – prompting hosepipe bans and other restrictions on water usage.
England experienced its driest July for 50 years and temperatures hit a new record high of 40.3C.
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The NDG – made up of senior figures from the Environment Agency, the government, the Met Office, water companies, farming organisations and environmental groups – said while “much of England is in a better position than last year” they were making preparations now to reduce the risk of introducing future drought measures.
Parts of the country are yet to fully recover from last summer and South West Water is to introduce an additional temporary hosepipe ban in parts of Devon on Tuesday.
However, at the start of this month total reservoir capacity across the country was at 94% – which contrasts with the low of 49% recorded at the end of September 2022 in the wake of the summer droughts.
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John Leyland, chair of the NDG and executive director of the Environment Agency, said: “Whilst water levels have improved across most of the country, a dry February followed by a particularly wet March has highlighted that we cannot rely on the weather alone to preserve our most precious resource ahead of summer.
“This is why the Environment Agency, water companies and our partners continue to take action to ensure water resources are in the best possible position both for the summer and for future droughts.
“We all owe it to the environment and wildlife, to continue to use water carefully to protect our precious rivers, lakes and groundwater.”
Rebecca Pow, the minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs responsible for water, also called on water companies to “step up” their efforts to both adapt to weather extremes and tackle leaks.
She added: “The recent rainfall came as a relief to many people across the country, but we should approach the improving drought situation cautiously.”
There were similar warnings about potential water shortages this summer from the Climate Change Committee and National Infrastructure Commission last month.
