The drought declared in the midlands after a warm and dry weather is wreaking havoc

The Eastern and West midlands officially entered the drought, joining the northwest and the Yorkshire, after another hot and dry period.

The announcement of the Environment Agency has followed the wildest start of England since 1976, leaving many rivers through midlands at extremely low levels.

Drying is a public sign that water companies could introduce restrictions on the use of water if they are not already in place. This may involve hosepipe prohibitions, which have already started for millions of people in Yorkshire.

Dreams are motivated by natural weather conditions, but climate change and our growing use of water increase the risk of water shortages, according to the Environment Agency.

The National Drought Group is made up of the Environment Agency (EA), the government, offices, water companies and others, and manages preparations for dry conditions in England.

He met on Tuesday morning and announced that he had “intensified” his answer, adding that the conditions in the midlands had deteriorated since early June.

Most of the rest of England is in a prolonged dry time status – the category less than drought – with the exception of parts of the South West, East and Southeast.

There is no official drought in Northern Ireland or Wales, although the mid and South Ceredigion in the west of Wales is by “developing drought”.

Scotland does not declare droughts but monitors the “rarity of water”. Some parts of Eastern Scotland are in “moderate” rarity – the second most extreme category – which means that there is a “clear” environmental impact.

In England, there is no unique definition of drought, but it is ultimately caused by an extended period of low precipitation, which has training effects for nature, agriculture and water supply.

England has had its driest spring in more than 100 years, followed by its hottest June ever recorded.

Some areas experienced three heat waves in rapid succession in June and July, the intense heat pulling more moisture from the soil.

Thus, even if he can rain where you live today, it is unlikely that it is enough to bring the water levels back to normal across the country.

Dry conditions can even be seen in space, with a large part of England much brown than usual.

This dry soil can have serious effects on nature and agriculture.

Standhill Farm in the Derbyshire experienced the lower precipitation for a quarter of a century. The farmer, Robert Thornhill, has taken meticulous readings of precipitation and length of grass through his dairy farm for 24 years.

“He was by far the driest spring from a distance,” said Thornhill. “The first quarter of this year was 50% drier than the next driest measure I have taken.”

“Less precipitation means less grass growth,” he adds. In fact, there is now so little grass that he can only leave his herd of 250 weapon overnight, he said.

During the day, they ate silage – the fermented grass he cut off on the farm last year. This would normally be used as a winter flow, so it eats in its reserves, but at least it means that cows can be sheltered in a barn out of the sun.

But consequently, Mr. Thornhill says that milk yield is down by almost 10% – a great success in terms of income.

The derwent river in the East Midlands, which provides water to three million people, is at its lowest level ever recorded.

This does not mean that households will be without water, but low river levels have serious consequences for the environment.

“It’s absolutely worrying,” said Matt Gable of EA in the East Midlands, adding that fish stocks were already taking a hit.

“”[The rivers] are such an important part of the ecosystem, and clearly it is not an aquatic ecosystem when there is no water, “he said.

“So the longer it goes, the more problematic it will be, and we start to see these impacts increase now as climate change begins to bite.”

The EA declares droughts in England on the basis of reservoir levels, rivers and soil drought flows, alongside long -term weather forecasts.

England is in a better place than in the infamous drought of 1976, which was preceded by a dryer in 1975. This year, on the other hand, was preceded by a wet 2024, which left water levels in a healthier state.

But in a “worst reasonable scenario” – where the regions obtain 80% of their medium -term precipitation – three other regions in certain parts of the center, from the east and southern England could enter the status of drought by September, according to the EA.

Current long -term forecasts, however, suggest roughly normal precipitation levels in the coming months.

If other droughts are declared, this does not automatically mean that hosepipe prohibitions will be implemented, but they can often follow.

Hosepipe bans have already started for millions of people in Yorkshire.

Prohibitions in other regions, such as parts of Kent, Sussex and the Thames region, will enter into force in the second half of the month, but these places are not in drought status for the moment.

According to additional drought measures, with no more “substantial rain

The group adds that the public can play an important role by reducing the use of water in houses and gardens, while water companies must take measures to reduce leaks.

“These are everyone who plays a role, whether it is public members [or] The water companies, all those who work together to deal with it, because we had one of the driest beginners of the year in 50 years, “said water Minister Emma Hardy.

The EA warned last month that the water supply of England could face a deficit of six billion liters per day by 2055 without dramatic action, driven by the increase in temperatures, population growth and other factors.

Climate change should lead to drier summers on average, while more intense heat waves mean that more water can be lost by evaporation.

Additional report by Jess Carr, Phil Leake and Muskeen Liddar