We must save water as drought becomes new normal, says minister

The government has warned action is needed to prevent water shortages becoming "the norm" after severe drought was declared across parts of southern England.

Water and flooding minister Emma Hardy told MPs current drought conditions were "something we have not experienced for decades" and urged people to "think about ways to use water wisely over the coming weeks".

Severe drought was declared across parts of southern England on Thursday after months of low rainfall, with around 50 million people now impacted.

Parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex are all affected by the move announced by the Environment Agency.

The government said supplies would not be interrupted but declaring severe drought would ensure "proactive steps are taken to safeguard water before any disruption occurs".

Speaking in the House of Commons, Hardy said the measures were down to "exceptionally low rainfall" and depleted reservoir levels.

The minister noted Yorkshire also moved into drought status last week.

"That means over 80% of England is now in drought, affecting around 50 million people," she said.

"The South East and South West, in particular, have experienced their driest April to September in over a century.

"While the record-breaking heat and lack of rainfall have put our water resources under immense pressure this year, we must take action now to prevent this situation becoming the norm."

Robbie Moore, shadow minister for environment, food and rural affairs, accused the government of being "slow to react" to the conditions.

"This is the third drought in five years, it should not have caught the government off guard," he told MPs.

Hardy insisted "we know that this the new normal when it comes to our weather", adding: "This is exactly why we are preparing for it."

The latest figures for Wimbleball Reservoir on Exmoor show it is at 14.9% capacity, while Ardingly in West Sussex is 19.4% full. Other major reservoirs are also low, including Roadford in Devon at 36.8%, Burrator at 33.6%, Colliford in Cornwall at 35% and Stithians at 21.9%.

Wimbleball serves about 300,000 properties across east Devon, north Devon, Somerset, west Dorset and west Somerset, while Ardingly Reservoir supplies 280,000.

As part of the severe drought conditions, water companies have been asked to conduct daily monitoring of these reservoir levels along with tougher monitoring of water quality.

The Environment Agency was also expected to increase compliance checks on businesses withdrawing water from natural sources to ensure they only take permitted quantities.

It said "small changes" including taking shorter showers, fixing leaks and turning off taps while brushing teeth could "make a real difference".

"These aren't token gestures," the agency said.

"They cut the amount of water we need to take from rivers and groundwater, protecting supplies for people and leaving more for wildlife, wetlands and the natural systems we all depend on."

The Environment Agency said further dry weather was expected for the rest of October: "The usual seasonal rainfall has yet to arrive, and 82% of England remains in drought."

In some areas, 120% of the expected rainfall was needed for the next six months or "drought conditions will continue and could worsen", it said.

Severe drought is the most serious level, and was declared "when evidence shows drought is causing, or will soon cause, serious harm, and that emergency action is needed to protect people, water supplies, the environment, farming, infrastructure or other critical services".