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England and Wales recorded a more dry start for this year for decades, with river levels much lower than the historical average and exhausted tanks, providing fears of summer drought.
In the year until May 13, only 225 mm rains in England and Wales fell, or less than 29 percent of the average in the long term, according to the analysis of the Financial Times times of MET office data.
By this scale, it was 2025 Drought The year 1997 and the seventy in the year recorded since the similar data began in 1931.
All rivers, soils and cabinets have been severely affected by unreasonable low rains, according to the monthly water situation of the water issued by the Environment Agency.
The flow was classified in two -thirds of the rivers as “less than usual” for this time of the year, as rivers in northern England reached the most difficult. Six sites in northern England have recorded their lowest level ever in the April River, including the Don Dunkaster and Mercy River in Ashton Ware.
The Environment Agency has warned of a “medium” risk of summer drought and said that water companies can have to implement measures, including Hosepe prohibit.
Richard Thompson, deputy director of water at the Environment Agency, said he hoped to see more people reduce their use of water.
“Change climate “We will see more summer drought in the coming decades,” he said.
England had a more dry march since 1961, while April witnessed half of the normal rain.
The storage of the tank in England remained 84 percent full at the end of April, as most sites were classified as “normal” for this time of the year.
In the last drought in 2022, the tanks were 90 percent full at the end of April. That year, five water ban companies imposed on a customer of 19 million customers to keep water to drink alcohol and exported water.
The Ministry of Environment said the levels are lower north. She said: “The tank levels are either significantly low or exceptionally low in the northeast and northwest of England.” “The two regions have witnessed a more dry start for this year since 1929.”
Some farmers grow increasingly about the potential effect of their crops if the last drought continues in the summer.
“The lack of any large rains in the past few weeks has started to raise some concerns, although the image through the agricultural sectors is mixed,” said Rachel Halos, Vice -President of the National Farmers Union.
“Farmers in some parts of the country have begun to irrigate much early than usual, although they added that there are” good groundwater stores “after” autumn and wet winter. “
At least three water companies have started taking steps to treat potential droughts in the coming months: Yorkshire Water, UK and Severen Trent.
Chris Weston, CEO of Times Water, the largest water company in Britain, said on Tuesday that he was confident that customers would not “run out” of water.
However, he added: “I am not sure that we will not have to restrict use, because that will depend on what the weather does and what is happening in the rain from now to the summer.”
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