West Midlands a step closer to drought

The West Midlands is among the English regions on the brink of drought, according to the National Drought Group.

It is one of the areas of the country which is now in "prolonged dry weather" - the stage before drought.

Only 13% of rivers across the country are classed at normal levels for this time of year, with the River Wye one of several currently seeing exceptionally low levels.

The Environment Agency (EA) said it was taking action to protect water supplies and wildlife in the region, as dry weather continues to assert pressure on river levels.

About 200 million litres of water a day are currently being released into the River Severn by the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme, according to the EA, in order to top up the river when levels are falling too low.

This is the equivalent of approximately 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The scheme uses groundwater stored naturally within the sandstone aquifer beneath north Shropshire and transfers it through a 53km network of underground pipelines.

At full capacity, the scheme can release up to 240 million litres of water a day, equivalent to about 96 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The EA said the Severn was "one of the UK's most important rivers, supplying drinking water to around six million people while supporting internationally important wildlife and habitats".

These measures helped to maintain the river flows at Bewdley in Worcestershire, the EA added, claiming the aim was to keep flows above a minimum target of 850 million litres per day, measured as a five-day average.

The EA is also responding to the impacts of low water levels on wildlife.

On the River Teme in south Shropshire, fish rescue operations have been carried out where conditions have become unsuitable for fish to survive.

Matthew Lawrence, manager for the EA in the West Midlands, said: "The River Severn may look like it has healthy summer flows, but this is all down to the work we are doing behind the scene.

"We are working hard to maintain river levels for people and wildlife.

"We will continue to monitor the conditions closely and will not hesitate to use our regulatory powers to mitigate the impacts of dry weather on the environment, water supplies and other sectors."

The EA added that it was working with farmers, growers and water companies to encourage sustainable water use during the dry weather.

This includes placing temporary restrictions on abstraction and providing advice about options that could improve access to water.

The latest announcement means more than 26 million people will be living under hosepipe bans by the end of this week.

Earlier this month, Severn Trent said it had recorded its highest level of demand on record and called on customers to reduce how much they used.

The water company supplies more than eight million people in England and Wales, including 4.8m homes and businesses in the Midlands, and said demand on 11 July outstripped previous records set during the 2022 drought and Covid pandemic.

Despite this, Severn Trent had so far managed to avoid imposing any restrictions such as hosepipe bans in the last 31 years, a spokesperson added.

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