Severn Trent issues warning on water supplies

The company said although the recent weather had been unusually cold and snowy, this time last year much of England was suffering a severe drought – the worst in 100 years.

Marcus O'Kane, water resources strategy manager for Severn Trent Water, said: "We are now looking ahead to the upcoming spring and summer period with our water sources in a good position.

"Our reservoirs are currently about 94 per cent full on average across the region.

"The Shropshire area is supplied with a mixture of groundwater and water from the River Severn, both of which are again in a healthy state.

"Our plans for the coming year are in place and we are confident we're in a good position to provide our customers with a continuous supply of water during the year.

"But we would still ask customers to be sensible with the amount of water they use as you never know when the next drought might be."

Mr O'Kane said the Met Office has revealed that across the UK February saw 66 per cent of the average rainfall expected for the month and January 88 per cent.

He said the lack of rainfall meant getting into good habits early would help prevent future issues. He said: "We're always talking to our customers about water usage and they have responded in a fantastic way, promoting good habits and using water sensibly.

"We would like to say thank you for that and in fact, homes in the Midlands are now some of the most water efficient in the UK.

"We have tons of good advice on how to save water, from tips for in the home, such as only using the dishwasher when you have a full load, knocking a minute off your shower time and even free water efficiency devices for your home."