Environmental legislation cut back after wet April

The wettest April on record means that environmental legislation on water controls has been cut back, with 19 counties now no longer in drought according to the Environment Agency.

South-West England, the Midlands and parts of Yorkshire have had their drought status removed after heavy rains fell in April. There has been torrential rain over the past six weeks in Britain, which means that water monitoring controls have been able to be lifted in parts of the country.

There are still controls in place for a significant portion of the country, with 20 million Britons still hit by hosepipe bans. The South, East and South-East of England remain in drought and these are the only areas where a hosepipe ban has been put in place.

Dr Paul Leinster, the chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: “The recent record rainfall has eased pressure on water resources in some parts of England, helping levels in rivers and reservoirs to recover and providing relief to farmers, gardeners and wildlife.”

He added that water monitoring will continue to be a priority for the Agency, as ground levels remain worryingly low and are unlikely to return to normal levels before this winter. Many parts of the country still have groundwater levels comparable to that of 1976, which was the last time the UK was hit by a severe drought.

This highlights that a warm summer with little rainfall could prompt the agency into reinforcing restrictions. However, the agency said that it is “unlikely” that water companies will now impose hosepipe bans in the areas that have been lifted over the summer.

Earlier in the year the idea of standpipes had been raised as a solution to the water shortage problems. These are mechanisms that stand in the street and allow water companies to service areas by village, rather than by individual homes.

Posted by Claire Manning