Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman yesterday said the government has not ruled out the possibility of introducing standpipes if the current drought, affecting England as far North as East Yorkshire and Shropshire in the West, continues into next year.

Although restrictive measures, including a hosepipe ban and voluntary ‘hands off’ orders are already in place in Southern England, if Europe suffers a third consecutive dry winter more stringent restrictions will be needed to conserve water supplies and prevent environmental disasters, according to Defra and the Environment Agency.

Ms Spelman said, “It's far too early to tell yet whether we are going to have the wet winter we do need; but whereas it's most unlikely we would have standpipes this year, if we have another dry winter that becomes more likely. We really do need a wet winter to get back to normal conditions.”

Speaking to the BBC yesterday, the Environment secretary said the UK would need to become more water efficient and that ensuring a sustainable water supply should take precedence in policy decisions, especially planning.

Double average monthly rainfall thanks to heavy April showers

Despite the welcome April showers for farmers, heavy rains over the past fortnight have had a minimal effect on the drought affecting much of England, and even resulted in flooding and damage to crops in Southern regions. The heavy rainfall came too late, meaning it cannot percolate easily into the ground to replenish groundwater.

Nevertheless, following the wettest April on record, in which the UK saw double the monthly average of rainfall, the Environment Agency revealed that soil moisture has improved after having been extremely low in some parts, and river flows have, for the most part, returned to within normal range for the time of year.

Experts have expressed fears that the challenging year so far, which saw a mild start followed by a cold snap, little rainfall then heavy April showers, may hinder development of a range of crops.

Though extremely wet weather has been recorded throughout the UK over past weeks, Met Office warnings remain in place only in the South. A band covering South Wales across to Greater London in the East will see heavy rain, which may potentially lead to flooding, mainly in the East.

The UK loses around a quarter of its water through inefficiencies including leakage from pipes owned by water companies, compared to Germany which loses just ten per cent. Ms Spelman yesterday claimed her department is encouraging water companies to address this and work together with government and one another to minimise the effects of drought.

As climate change progresses, weather is likely to become more changeable. The ability to adapt to unseasonal weather patterns will be essential if industries such as farming are to thrive and to ensure good environmental health and welfare. Farmers concerned at the effects this could have on abstraction licenses have called for a more responsive approach to water management from water companies and the Environment Agency.

The variable weather seen so far this year has also precipitated a number of farmers to look into improving rainwater capture and increasing water storage, which has benefits for the environment and could potentially prove vital to businesses if erratic weather continues.

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