Some parts of the country have suffered the driest start to the year since the 1930s, leading to water companies having to consider restrictions to conserve supplies
Millions of households risk living under imposed water restrictions as parts of the country suffer the driest start to the year for decades. The Environment Agency warned that, without sustained rainfall, there was a “medium” chance of drought in England this summer.
Although there are currently no hosepipe bans planned, the regulator said water companies may have to implement measures, including restrictions, in the months ahead. It comes as part of the country experienced the driest start to spring in 61 years. This was 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.
The boss of Thames Water warned it may have to implement restrictions this summer because of the dry spring. Chris Weston revealed the UK’s biggest water supplier had recently upped its drought preparation plans, which meant urging customers to conserve supplies. “I am confident that we won’t run out of water,” he told a committee of MPs. “I am not confident that 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.”
READ MORE: Thames Water boss issues stark warning on restrictions after dry spring
Mr Weston, giving evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, insisted that its reservoirs were 94% full. “We are prepared as best we can be for a drought event”, he said. He said the company has four levels of drought preparedness, and had recently moved from zero to one.
While Mr Weston stressed it was working hard to avoid restrictions, MPs pointed out that Thames was losing 56 mega-tonnes of water a day through leaks. Meanwhile, work on a new reservoir – in Oxfordshire – is not due to start until 2028, and would not be ready until well into the next decade.
And Britain’s only water desalination plant will spend another summer out of action. The Thames Water-owned plant in Beckton, east London, is supposed to turn salty seawater into fresh drinking water for hundreds of thousands of households during a supply crisis. Mr Weston criticised the previous decision to invest in the facility.
Across the country, reservoirs are only 84% full. The lowest are reportedly Thirlmere and Haweswater in the Lake District, which are only 58% full and dropping by as much as 2% a week. United Utilities, which manages water resources across the northwest, is already urging customers to use less water.
Experts warn the extremes are a sign of things to come with climate change. Scotland and Northern Ireland have seen their driest starts to the year for many decades, with Met Office average daily rainfall data analysed by the PA news agency showing Scotland recorded 281.8mm of rain from January 1 to May 11, the lowest figure for this period since comparable data began in 1931.
Northern Ireland recorded 232.9mm of rain from January 1 to May 11, the lowest figure since 1953. North-west and north-east England have both seen their driest start to a calendar year since 1929, the Environment Agency said, while England as a whole has experienced its driest February to April period since 1956.
River 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.
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.”