Severe drought is declared in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex as millions remain under hosepipe ban after record-breaking summer

A severe drought has been declared in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex, the Government has announced. A statement by the Environment Agency follows a meeting of the National Drought Group, looking into England's water resources and drought conditions. It comes as millions of people remain under a hosepipe ban following record-breaking temperatures this past summer. The South East and South West have experienced their driest April to September for more than a century, affecting reservoirs in those areas, officials said. As a result, 'severe drought' – in which a lack of water affects daily life and the environment in major ways and can have extensive, lasting effects on farming, people, communities, the economy and nature – has been declared in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. Water companies have been told to step up drought planning, amid efforts to protect public water supplies in the affected areas. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: 'This level of drought is something we have not experienced for decades, so this government is stepping up our support and planning. 'We are working closely with water companies to protect public supplies in the areas affected, and I'd continue to urge everyone to think about how they can use water wisely over the coming weeks. A couple sit on a bench looking out over Chesil beach and the dried landscape, on August 10 this year in Portland, Dorset 'Our strengthened Water Bill is all about taking back public control of our water companies. We are at the start of a decade-long journey to a very different water system, including nine new major reservoirs to secure supplies.' The Government said customers’ water supplies would be uninterrupted, but declaring a severe drought would ensure proactive steps were taken to safeguard resources before any disruption occurs. Water companies have been told to conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and tougher water quality monitoring, and the Environment Agency will increase compliance checks on businesses that abstract water to check they are only taking permitted amounts. The Environment Agency has also been told to prioritise protecting public water supplies in areas affected by severe drought where there are unavoidable trade-offs with environmental rules, That is aimed at allowing water companies to keep more water in depleted reservoirs. The declaration has been prompted by concerns about two major reservoirs that supply hundreds of thousands of customers, and which have seen water levels drop far below what would be expected at this time of year. Ardingly in West Sussex, which supplies about 95,000 properties served by South East Water in Haywards Heath, Uckfield and the surrounding areas, is at 19 per cent capacity. Wimbleball in Somerset, which provides for about 300,000 South West Water and Wessex Water customers in East and North Devon, Somerset and West Dorset, is 16 per cent full. The Environment Agency said it would expect the reservoirs to be at 75 per cent capacity at this time of year. There are also concerns about several smaller reservoirs serving homes in Devon and Cornwall, the agency said. Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said: 'Record-breaking summer heat and severe drought have put our water resources under immense pressure. 'Recovery depends on both rainfall and how much water we use. 'We cannot change the weather, but water companies can act now. We expect them to follow their drought plans and take the steps needed to secure public water supplies. 'We are also asking everyone to use less water. That will leave more in our rivers and the environment, helping farmers and protecting wildlife and nature.' The Environment Agency has granted South East Water’s drought permit application to reduce the amount of water Ardingly reservoir releases each day to the River Ouse by three million litres. Separately, it has granted a drought permit application by South West Water to reduce the amount of water sent to the River Exe each day by nine million litres. Last week a drought declaration was made for Yorkshire, with all of England now in drought except for the North West and North East which remain in prolonged dry weather status. There were warnings earlier this week that hundreds of thousands of people could be left without water this winter following a record-breaking dry spring and summer. Ardingly Reservoir, which serves 280,000 residents in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, and surrounding areas in East Sussex, has fallen from 22.8 per cent full a week ago to just 20.2 per cent. Concerns around the water supply grew last month when rainfall was more than 80 per cent lower than average in some areas. John Halsall, chief executive of South East Water, said supplies in the region are now under 'severe pressure' and standpipes may appear on British streets for the first time in 50 years. Mr Halsall also ended exemptions to a months-long hosepipe ban in Sussex – with the rules expected to be in place until next year. However, he admitted his company's efforts to persuade customers to use less water had not been as successful as hoped – with water demand falling by about five per cent rather than around 10 per cent as expected. Mr Halsall also recognised outages in Tunbridge Wells and other towns and villages had undermined customer confidence. Meanwhile, the Met Office forecast 'rain, often heavy' in northern England and Wales troday - though it would be 'unseasonably warm across England and Wales' and 'largely dry with sunny spells'. Rain is expected across central and southern England as well as Wales tonight, before a weekend 'often sunny' but 'feeling chilly, with rural frost likely overnight'.