Overview
- Natural Resources Wales confirmed on Thursday that it had declared drought in north Wales and the Upper Severn after sustained hot, dry weather and successive heatwaves.
- Monitoring shows many rivers and aquifers at exceptionally low levels with some sites recording new monthly minimum flows and rising reports of damage to wildlife and fisheries.
- The Environment Agency is supporting River Severn flows by running the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme at about 200 million litres per day with up to 240 million litres per day possible.
- Water companies have introduced temporary use bans for millions of customers, with Thames Water’s hosepipe ban covering about 10.1 million people, while fish rescues and widespread wildfire responses continue.
- National coordination through the National Drought Group is guiding abstraction controls, reservoir and groundwater releases, and public appeals for urgent water saving as forecasts offer little relief and more catchments could move into drought.