England is suffering from “nationally significant” water shortfalls despite rain in July, officials have warned as temperatures are set to soar to 34°C.
The national drought group, which includes the Met Office, regulators, government, water companies and other organisations, says the country is seeing widespread environmental and agricultural impacts from the lack of water.
The group met as five areas of the country remain in drought, with six more in prolonged dry weather status.
Water shortfalls are hitting crop yields, reducing feed for livestock, damaging wetlands and river wildlife, and increasing wildfires, it said.
There are currently hosepipe bans in place for all Yorkshire Water customers, and parts of the regions served by Thames Water, South East Water and Southern Water.
Water companies are being urged to fix leaks, while the public is being urged to take simple actions such as turning off taps and deleting old emails – which reduces demand for water to cool data centres – to help reduce the impact on the environment.
The EA’s director of water and national drought group chairwoman Helen Wakeham said: “The current situation is nationally significant and we are calling on everyone to play their part and help reduce the pressure on our water environment.
“Water companies must continue to quickly fix leaks and lead the way in saving water.”
Many river flows and reservoir levels are now well below where they should be for the time of year.
Reservoir levels fell 2% last week and are now 67.7% full on average across England, compared to the 80.5% normally seen for the first week of August and down on the 75.6% average last month, the Environment Agency said.
The lowest reservoirs are Blithfield, Staffordshire, Derwent Valley group of reservoirs in Derbyshire, and Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake in Somerset, all of which are less than half full.
Nearly half of England’s rivers (49%) had below normal, notable or exceptionally low flows in July, with two – the Wye and Ely Ouse – at their lowest on record.
Dr Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “This week is starting off warmer than of late across England and Wales, with temperatures getting towards the mid-30s Celsius for some in the south.
“While conditions remain mostly settled across the south, the picture is more unsettled further north-west, with rain or showers at times.
“As we move into the second half of August there are indications of high pressure building and therefore largely settled conditions overall.
“Although dry weather is more likely, rain, showers or thunderstorms cannot be ruled out.”
Experts warn periods of dry weather and low rivers – some of which are used to provide drinking water for people – reduce oxygen levels in water that can lead to fish kills, algal blooms and prevent wildlife moving up and down the river.
Drying out wetlands hits species that rely on the habitat while an increase of wildfires are hitting heathland and moorland.
With rising temperatures this week, fire and rescue services are likely to face an increase in incidents, but funding cuts have left them without enough crews and resources, the FBU said, pointing to the Holt Heath fire which drew in firefighters from five neighbouring services.
Experts warn climate change is driving more extreme weather conditions in the UK, worsening drought and dry spells, and making heatwaves more frequent and severe.
Despite unsettled weather in July with many places seeing heavy rain or showers, it was still the fifth warmest on record.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
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