Hosepipe ban update as Severn Trent says water storage levels drop towards 50 per cent
Severn Trent remains "confident" there will be no hosepipe ban in the region - despite reservoir levels dropping towards half capacity.
Yesterday - Monday, August 11, Shropshire's water supplier reported its overall reservoir capacity had fallen to 56.4 per cent of total storage space available.
The figure is down from 58.7 per cent in the previous week and 71.1 per cent at the end of June.
Five areas of the country, including the West Midlands, remain in drought, with six more in prolonged dry weather status.
And despite unsettled weather in July, with many places seeing heavy rain or showers, the month was still the fifth warmest on record.
Rainfall was 89 per cent of the long-term average for the month across England, making it the sixth consecutive month of below-average rainfall, the Environment Agency (EA) said.
The situation means Severn Trent's Derwent Valley group of reservoirs in Derbyshire are at 46 per cent of overall capacity.
Charnwood in Leicestershire is down to 35 per cent, although others in the region have healthier stocks.
The water supplier's maximum reservoir capacity is 247,708 ML (million litres). But the water level in its reservoirs stood at 139,814 ML on Monday.
The company says it remains confident it will not have to enforce a hosepipe ban in the region, but is continuing to urge customers to use water carefully.
A Severn Trent spokesman said: "We hope everyone is enjoying the summer – perhaps enjoying a great day out at one of our visitor sites, or spending time with family in the garden, while of course still using water carefully – storing rain when it pours in a water butt, or watering plants with paddling pool water when it’s finished with.
"Throughout the summer we have teams working around the clock, moving water around the network to ensure taps keeps flowing. We haven’t issued a hosepipe ban in 30 years and we’re confident that our great track record will continue this summer and beyond.
"We’re investing record amounts in new pipes, finding and fixing more leaks than ever and upgrading and developing new treatment works, adding hundreds of millions of litres of drinking water into our network."
Severn Trent is urging residents to turn off taps when they are not in use, fix any leaks within their property promptly, use water-efficient fixtures such as low-flow showerheads or dual-flush toilets, try a shower timer, run full loads in dishwashers or washing machines, and get a water meter.
It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health warning with temperatures set to soar above 30C in parts of the West Midlands.
The latest amber heat-health alert covers a period from 9am today - Tuesday, August 12, to 6pm on Wednesday, August 13.
The UKHSA has warned of "significant impacts" from the heat, specifically across health and social care services.
