Shropshire's water supply in healthy position, says Severn Trent

It comes despite rainfall over the last few months being less than average, prompting fears of a drought.

There have been reports some rivers have run dry in Cumbria and reservoir levels in Cornwall are lower than during the last official water shortage.

The Met Office said Shropshire had 23.8mm of rainfall last month – 60 per cent below average.

It was much lower than in March, which saw 68.1mm of rain fall in the county – 19 per cent above average.

Shropshire’s supply of water is made up of a mixture of river and groundwater.

Severn Trent said river and groundwater levels are looking healthy so it has no concerns, but customers have been reminded to get into good habits to help save water.

Current water storage levels in the Severn Trent region are at 89.9 per cent of capacity.

It stood at 94.4 per cent at the beginning of April and 93.7 per cent at the start on March.

Severn Trent bosses said its reservoirs and other water sources are looking good for the summer ahead.

Marcus O’Kane, water resources manager for Severn Trent, said that in case of a drop in water levels there are good plans in place.

He said: “We need to think long-term about our water usage and we have really good plans in place for how to manage a drop in water levels if that happens.

"We’re confident that our water resources are in the best possible position at the moment, and we don’t currently expect any restrictions at all this summer.

“However, if there’s even a chance that it’s going to be a long dry summer, then we need to get into good habits now.

“With weather patterns the way they are lately, we never know what’s around the corner.”

In January, large parts of the UK had less than 75 per cent of their usual rainfall and in March parts of southeastern England and north and east Scotland also had much lower falls than normal.

This was followed by an April that saw many parts of southern and northwestern England, southern and eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland experiencing just a fraction of their usual rainfall.

The Met Office said the lowest rainfall totals of anywhere in the UK last month were in Edinburgh.

Crops in need of ‘decent’ rainfall

Bosses from the National Farmers’ Union say a recent lack of rain has affected some crops but decent rainfall over the next month should put the majority back on track.

Sarah Faulkner, NFU environment adviser, based at Telford, said following the prolonged dry spell, farmers in Shropshire will be hoping for some much-needed rain by the end of the week.

A lack of rainfall in other areas of the country has led to fears of a drought.

But Ms Faulkner said Shropshire had not been one of the hardest hit counties.

She said: “The situation at the moment nationally is patchy, with farmers, particularly in the south and east of the country, reporting as low as 10 per cent of their expected March and April rainfall.

“This is not the case in Shropshire and while it is much drier than usual, decent rainfall in May and June will put many crops back on track.

“However some crops, like spring barley, have already lost some of their potential.

“Shropshire’s dairy and livestock sector will also have seen the impact on grass growth, however, many are busy silaging already and reporting good grass yields.

“We are growing increasingly concerned about the fruit and vegetable sector, but reservoirs are full and abstracted water sources are still available, albeit at lower that normal levels.” She said although there are currently no environmental or water supply issues in the county, the NFU is working closely with the Environment Agency, public water supply companies, Defra and The Met Office to assess the situation as this spell of dry weather continues.

Ms Faulkner added: “Many reservoirs have been built since the dry weather we experienced in the 1990s and the NFU hopes that after the General Election the newly formed government will help farmers with a future reservoir building programme through tax relief and positive planning policies.”