DORSET has escaped being declared a drought zone.
Parts of the south west, parts of southern and central England, and the East of England are to be moved into drought status including neighbouring areas Devon and the Solent.
The areas that will be moved into drought are Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and south London, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire and the east Midlands.
LIVE: Heatwave in Dorset - NO drought declared for county
Earlier this week, the Daily Echo contacted Wessex Water and Bournemouth Water for their stance on government calls for a hosepipe ban.
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “There are no supply problems in the Wessex Water region but we always encourage our customers to use water responsibly for the benefit of everyone and the environment.”
Read more: What Dorset water companies are saying on hosepipe ban calls
Bournemouth Water, meanwhile, said their plans are under constant review. A spokesperson said: “While we have no immediate plans to implement water restrictions, the long period of unprecedented hot and dry weather we are experiencing means we are constantly reviewing our position and the extremely high levels of demand we are seeing.
“Overall, we are confident that we have sufficient water in our reservoirs and rivers. However, continued high demand and low rainfall will put strain on these precious resources. We always ask customers to think about their water usage and we are now urging customers to avoid non-essential water use such as filling paddling pools and using a hosepipe in the garden and for washing cars.”
Read more: Photos reveal the Dorset beauty spots scorched by soaring temperatures
The most recent EA data showed rainfall totals for August have ranged from 12 per cent of the long-term average in north east England to 0 per cent in south east and south west England.
Meanwhile river flow data revealed almost 90% of measuring sites were showing below normal readings, with 29 per cent classed as “exceptionally low”.
It comes after the driest July on record for some areas and the driest first half of the year since 1976.
The Daily Echo has contacted the Environment Agency for a comment.
More follows.
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