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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Parts of England officially facing drought conditions | Parts of England officially facing drought conditions |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Parts of England are officially in a drought following the dry spring, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said. | Parts of England are officially in a drought following the dry spring, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said. |
| Areas of East Anglia are in drought, with parts of the south-west and south-east of England, the Midlands and Wales in a "near-drought" state. | Areas of East Anglia are in drought, with parts of the south-west and south-east of England, the Midlands and Wales in a "near-drought" state. |
| In the drought-affected areas, Anglian Water and Cambridge Water say there is no threat to public water supplies. | In the drought-affected areas, Anglian Water and Cambridge Water say there is no threat to public water supplies. |
| But Severn Trent Water says there may be restrictions if rainfall stays low. | But Severn Trent Water says there may be restrictions if rainfall stays low. |
| Both the south-east and central-southern regions of England have had their driest spring on record. | Both the south-east and central-southern regions of England have had their driest spring on record. |
| Across England and Wales as a whole it has been the driest spring since 1990. | Across England and Wales as a whole it has been the driest spring since 1990. |
| Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is set to hold a second drought summit to review the impacts of the continuing dry weather. | Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is set to hold a second drought summit to review the impacts of the continuing dry weather. |
| She said: "Water companies are confident that supplies are high enough so that widespread restrictions to the public are unlikely. We're doing all we can to reduce the impact on agriculture and wildlife, but everyone can play their part. | She said: "Water companies are confident that supplies are high enough so that widespread restrictions to the public are unlikely. We're doing all we can to reduce the impact on agriculture and wildlife, but everyone can play their part. |
| "Households know how to use less water and everyone can do their bit to use water more wisely, not only through the summer, but throughout the year." | "Households know how to use less water and everyone can do their bit to use water more wisely, not only through the summer, but throughout the year." |
| Ahead of talks with the government later, Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was a need to look at long-term solutions such as having enough reservoirs and "computer-controlled drip feed irrigation". | |
| Mr Kendall said there would be calls for an approach in which authorities "talk to farmers in advance" and "don't just turn the tap right off" to "allow farmers to eek out supplies". | |
| He said: "It would be crazy if you have a big investment and you say 'no water from now on'. | |
| "We would much rather say, 'actually, it's getting low, you can have 30% or 40% of your water. | |
| "That's the sort of initiative we need and then we need to look longer term at how we can plan to become more resilient." | |
| The NFU president urged ministers to "keep talking to the farmers" and "make sure we make food production a priority". | |
| The Environment Agency said the specific areas of the Anglian region suffering from a drought are Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire and western Norfolk. | |
| Low levels of water are causing considerable problems for farmers, with crop yields being hit. | Low levels of water are causing considerable problems for farmers, with crop yields being hit. |
| In parts of the Fens, some farmers and growers have volunteered to irrigate only at night to reduce evaporation, and co-operatives have formed to share limited amounts of water available. | In parts of the Fens, some farmers and growers have volunteered to irrigate only at night to reduce evaporation, and co-operatives have formed to share limited amounts of water available. |
| Have you been affected by the drought conditions? Are you a farmer? Are you taking measures to conserve water? Send us your comments using the form below. |