Households told not to water lawns as Britain bakes under 'exceptionally' dry May
Households have been told not to water their lawns as Britain bakes under one of the driest months of May on record.
May has been “exceptionally dry” according to the Met Office with only 31.8mm of rainfall being recorded throughout the month - a significant shortfall from the average of 69.8mm.
Some regions in the south of England are set to record their driest May ever, the Met Office warned, as South East Water issued an alert to its 2.2 million customers urging them to cut down on water.
United Utilities, which provides water to the north west of England, has applied to take water from a Cumbrian lake to help with supplies in the county.
The Environment Agency (EA) warned that if the dry weather continues it is likely that further drought actions will be needed across a larger area.
South East Water’s chief executive David Hinton said the recent increase in water use across the region is “akin to the patterns we see in a very hot summer”.
The firm issued guidance last week encouraging customers not to water their lawns, insisting that “brown laws are fine - they will bounce back and they are a great indicator you are doing your bit for your community”.
The water provider also asked residents not to wash their cars, to reuse paddling pool water and to take a shower instead of a bath.
According to Met Office statistics, this Spring is on track to become the fourth driest since records began in 1862, ranking behind 2011, 1990 and 1893 for the least amount of rainfall.
Throughout the Spring of 1893, 109mm of rain was recorded. So far, 138.8mm of rain has been recorded for the Spring of 2020 up to May 26.
The highest temperature recorded this month - 28.2 C in Santon Downham, Suffolk on May 20 - is still some way off the record temperature for the month from 1944, when 32.8 C was recorded in Regent’s Park, London.
Despite the recent low rainfall and prematurely warm temperatures, a hosepipe ban is not being considered for this summer, the trade body Water UK insisted.
However the dry weather is having a particularly bad effect on farmers, with many fearing an “extremely challenging” season ahead.
NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “Many farmers are already feeling the effects of a dry April and May with some cereal crops already suffering from this early dry spell. The irrigation season has started early for some and it is fortunate that, as a result of widespread heavy winter rainfall, which was a problem for many, reservoirs were filled.
“Farmers are closely following predictions of possible hot, dry spells in the weeks ahead and what this could mean for water availability, especially with livestock now turned out to graze and harvest not far away."
The increasing numbers of people working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic has also contributed to the demand for more water in the south east, Mr Hinton said.
“More water is being used on DIY projects and gardening which is contributing to the additional 14 per cent of water we're treating and pumping through our vast network of underground pipes,” he said.
An EA spokesman said: "We work closely with all water companies throughout the year to ensure their drought plans are up to date and activated as needed.
"At this time, most companies across the country have appropriate water reserves for this time of year. While dry weather since late March has led to a decline in some reservoirs, this is not unusual during a hot and dry spell, and they can recover quickly when the rain returns."
