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3w ago

North West England Enters Drought as Water Supplies Plummet

After Britain’s sunniest spring on record, reservoirs and rivers in the North West have fallen to critically low levels, prompting drought status

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Overview

  • The Environment Agency declared drought status for Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire on May 21 under its North West Drought Plan.
  • Rainfall between February and April was the third lowest in the North West since 1871, with England experiencing its driest spring period since 1956.
  • England’s overall reservoir storage fell to 84% at the end of April, dropping below levels seen at the same point during the 2022 drought.
  • Met Office figures show the UK recorded 630 hours of sunshine from March 1 to May 27, the highest total since records began in 1910.
  • Environment Secretary Steve Reed has fast-tracked two major reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire by designating them as nationally significant to bolster future supplies.