Sheffield drought: Yorkshire Water launches drought plans as hosepipe ban fears grow

Government ministers, officials, water firms and other bodies on the national drought group met on Wednesday to discuss the risk of drought this summer, The Times reports.

The Environment Agency said that after an “exceptionally wet” 2024, this year had taken a “dramatically different turn”.

Met Office data shows that the three months from February to April have been the driest in England since 1956. The forecast for Sheffield indicates no rain until at least Wednesday, May 14.

The Met Office’s long range forecast for the UK - up to May 21 - states it will continue to be mostly dry.

Yorkshire Water’s reservoir levels are at 73.1 per cent of capacity compared with an average for this time of year of 89.5 per cent, The Times states.

Yorkshire Water, United Utilities and Severn Trent are understood to have begun taking steps in their drought plans, which outline how they ensure supplies in dry periods.

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Water UK, the industry body, urged householders to play their part.

It said: “Following the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years, water companies have been taking two actions: first, they are breaking new records for repairing leaks; and second, they are moving water across their regions to relieve the driest areas.

“Customers can also help to leave more water in the environment by making small changes to everyday routines at home and in the garden.”

Dave Kaye, director of water service delivery at Yorkshire Water, said it had been the driest February, March and April in Yorkshire for almost 90 years.

He added: “We have plans for a range of circumstances in the short, medium and long-term. The higher temperatures have also increased water usage, with as much as 100 million litres extra water supplied on days when temperatures have spiked recently, which is the equivalent of Hull's daily usage.

“We’re carefully managing water resources across the region using our grid network to move water around, as well as investing £16m this year to reduce leakage as much as possible.

“In the Sheffield area, we've installed 20,000 smart meters to help identify leaks and save customers money on their bills, as well as beginning our project to replace 43km of mains in the area over the next two years, with projects already underway in Norton Lees, Heatherfield and Loxley.

“Customers can also help by making small changes to how they use water, which will help protect resources further into the summer."