'Sensible' appeal as drought could last to autumn

Drought conditions in the East Midlands could last until the end of autumn, the Environment Agency has said.

The region officially entered drought last month following England's driest start to the year since 1976.

Carsington Water in Derbyshire - one of the region's largest reservoirs - is currently about 67% full.

Matt Lewis, delivery lead at Severn Trent Water, urged the company's 8.5 million customers to be "sensible" with how they use water.

"We've only had about 50% of the rainfall that we would expect for a normal summer and our reservoirs are less than we'd want them to be," he said.

"What we're asking is that people are sensible, so if they could save a little bit by turning the taps off while brushing their teeth, put the hosepipes away and wash the car a little bit less.

"Turn those sprinklers off - a brown lawn is as good as a green lawn at this time of year."

He added he did not expect the company to have to declare a hosepipe ban.

An amber heat health alert will be in place across the region from Tuesday morning until Wednesday evening.

Bryan Hemmings, from the Environment Agency, said further dry weather meant the drought was likely to continue for some time.

He added: "Unfortunately, the long-term forecast is for dry, hot weather so there's no real replenishment coming in and we continue to take water out of the reservoirs and rivers so we continue in drought.

"This could quite possibly go on certainly through the summer, into autumn, and possibly to the end of autumn."

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.