Widespread public water restrictions are not expected, despite drought warnings Several counties in the UK are officially in a state of drought after the driest and warmest spring on record in some parts, the government warned on Friday. Cambridgeshire , Lincolnshire and parts of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Norfolk are officially classified as suffering from drought, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The South West, South East, Midlands and Wales are experiencing near-drought conditions.
Widespread hosepipe bans are not expected to be introduced however, the environment minister indicated.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “Drought has hit parts of East Anglia, with other areas in England and Wales also giving grounds for concern.
“Water companies are confident that supplies are high enough so that widespread restrictions to the public are unlikely.\"
Defra is holding a drought summit with farmers, utility companies and environment groups to look at how to tackle the problem.
This spring has been the driest spring on record in South East and Central Southern England and the driest across England and Wales since 1990, Defra said.
England and Wales had 45 percent of the long-term average rainfall for March, April and May, with rainfall averaging 88 mm for the three-month period.
East Anglia was the worst-hit region with just 21 percent of the long-term average rainfall, leading to the driest spring for 101 years.
Anglian Water and Cambridge Water, which supply the drought affected areas, say there is no threat to public water supplies, while Severn Trent Water says there may be restrictions if rainfall stays low.
Temperatures also broke records this spring, with central England experiencing an average temperature of 10.3C (50.5F), the highest since monthly records began in 1659.
The temperature for the whole of Britain was 9.2C (48.6F), the highest since 1910, the Met Office said.