Four areas of England now in drought because heat threatens fauna and cultures | Extreme heat

Four areas of England are now in drought while the Eastern and Western midlands have joined the Yorkshire and the North West.

The pursuit of hot and dry time was a danger to agricultural production and fauna, the ministers said, while they urged water companies to set up pipe prohibitions to keep water as the levels are exhausted.

The Minister of Water, Emma Hardy, said: “I asked the National Drought Group to intensify his answer to make sure that we successfully manage the impacts of continuous dry time. Water companies must now take measures to follow their drought plans – I will keep them accountable if they delay. ”

England had a very hot and dry June. Precipitation was 20% lower than the long -term average of the month, and it was the warmest ever recorded for England. The reservoir levels continued to decrease as the increase in water use meets the lack of rain, with overall storage across England at 75.6%. This is lower than the level during the severe drought of 2022, when they were 77% at this summer stage. The Guardian recently revealed that the British reservoirs are at their lowest levels for a decade.

The government’s national drought group met on Tuesday to discuss its response to prolonged dry weather, which caused fat -fish mortals, low rivers, dangerous algae flowers and the beginnings of crop failures.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it was likely that farmers’ yields would be lower than last year, in particular non -irrigated grains and straw.

Nature was also suffering, said Defra. Forest fires, drying wetlands and coastal sites, and the loss of reproductive seasons for rare species have all been seen. The National Drought Group asks for recreational water users, including fishermen, swimmers and boaters to report any environmental problem they see, like distress fish.

Officials said on Monday that up to five of the 14 regions of England of the Environment Agency were to be drought this summer after the hottest in June since the records in 1884.

Three waves of heat, which tend to increase the consumption of water, combined with a lack of rain, means that large expanses of England are heading for drought and damage to the environment that involves.

Helen Wakeham, director of the Environment Agency for Water and President of the National Drought Group, said: “This has been the driest start of the year since 1976, and we must make sure that our water supplies can support us throughout the summer.

“Today, I asked all the partners who make up the national drought group to intensify their operational response to manage drought and judiciously use water.