Cornwall and England's drought could last into next year, EA official warns
They have said we need "weeks' worth of rain" to replenish water sources
Last updated 13th Aug 2022
A senior Environment Agency figure has warned that England could see a drought last into NEXT year after one was declared in multiple regions, including Cornwall and Devon.
The National Drought Group made the announcement on Friday, following the driest summer for 50 years.
John Curtin, Executive Director for local operations at the EA, said it would take "weeks' worth of rain" to replenish water sources.
Some areas have been almost completely deprived of rainfall all summer, prompting the NDG – made up of representatives from the Government, water companies, the EA and others – to move multiple areas into drought status.
The announcement could lead to more measures such as hosepipe bans, however, the EA has reassured the public that essential water supplies are safe.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One, Mr Curtin said: "Mainly it is a signal that this is not a normal summer now, so that water will be an issue and probably will be an issue for months ahead, depending how the winter goes".
He added: "It all depends on the weather I'm afraid. There will be heavy showers probably Monday, Tuesday next week.
"But please, don't think that will stop the drought because we're talking about… we've lost a week's worth of rain and it'll take weeks' of rain, we'll need probably average or slightly above average rainfall this autumn into this winter for us to not be in a drought next year".
At a meeting earlier this summer, the NDG moved most of England into 'prolonged dry weather' status, the first of four stages used to describe its response.
Eight of 14 areas designated by the EA have now moved to "drought", the second stage, including Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and South London, Herts and North London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and East Midlands.
The change has also prompted the EA to urge people to use water "wisely", while it expects water companies to fix leaking pipes as quickly as possible.
Mike Keil, senior director of policy, research and campaigning at the Consumer Council for Water, which represents the interests of water and sewerage consumers in England and Wales and is part of the NDG, said the move was a "signal", adding: "We've got to step up here, this is a serious situation, it’s a challenging situation".
Three water companies – Welsh Water, Southern Water, and South East Water – have all imposed hosepipe bans, while Yorkshire Water has announced a ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water is planning one in the coming weeks.
South West Water had not announced any restrictions but said it would take the 'next step' towards that if the dry weather and high demand continued.
Despite the risk of "torrential downpours" during storms, with a thunderstorms warning out for Cornwall on Monday, Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said: "It’ll take more than a couple of wet days to redress the effects of the long dry spell we’ve had so far".
An amber 'Extreme Heat' weather warning remains in force for parts of Cornwall until Sunday night.