Reservoir stocks across Yorkshire have continued to decline following a week of dry and warm weather, with June marking England’s warmest on record.
Levels dropped by 2.5% last week, reaching 55.8%. This remains well below the average of 81.9% for this time of year. The downward trend has been ongoing since late January, driven by the driest spring Yorkshire has seen in 132 years combined with the recent heatwave.
Last week’s heatwave prompted amber heat health alerts across the region, and water usage surged as a result. On Monday 30 June, demand nearly hit 1.5 billion litres—200 million litres more than Yorkshire Water’s typical daily production.
The Environment Agency declared Yorkshire in drought on 12 June, citing low rainfall, river levels and groundwater reserves. This announcement came as water resources across the region continued to dwindle.
Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “Our reservoir levels have been much lower than average for some time now, after the driest spring for 132 years in Yorkshire. The heat and dry weather over the last week have further impacted our reservoir levels. There is some light and localised rain around today and forecast for the rest of the week, but without significant rainfall soon, temporary usage restrictions are a possibility.”
He added: “We know that warm weather can lead to an increase in water usage, but we are urging customers to continue using water wisely. We’re incredibly grateful to those customers who have been making efforts to save water over the last few months.”
Yorkshire Water is working closely with the Environment Agency and managing resources carefully, moving water around the region to where it is needed most. The company has deployed 100 additional staff to tackle leaks and is encouraging customers to report any leaks promptly to help speed up repairs.
The coming weeks will be critical for reservoir levels, and the company continues to ask the public to be mindful of their water use during this challenging period.
