Summer drought ‘may leave 280,000 without water this winter’

A reservoir serving hundreds of thousands of people may run dry within weeks, leading to standpipes appearing on British streets for the first time in 50 years. Ardingly Reservoir, which serves 280,000 people in the commuter town of Haywards Heath, West Sussex, and surrounding areas in East Sussex, has fallen from 22.8 per cent full a week ago to 20.2 per cent now . Most commented 1 Zelensky repeats offer to hold elections if Russia agrees to ceasefire Russia-Ukraine war 1,941 comments 2 Tiger kills man who ‘jumped’ into pen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park 724 comments 3 Christa Pike discharged from hospital after botched execution US news 168 comments 4 Forget fragile defending, I’d much rather glorious attacking than a 6-3 Rugby union 92 comments 5 How John Swinney’s public sector plans revealed deep splits in SNP Scotland 50 comments Water supply concerns have grown since last month, when rainfall was 80 per cent lower than average in some areas. Environment newsletter The latest climate, energy and nature news and analysis, plus reasons to be hopeful. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Environment newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Environment newsletter Explore our newsletters Drought was declared in Yorkshire on Friday, joining ten other regions in England, and experts have met weekly to discuss the threat to water supplies. Top stories 1 Starbucks ‘explores takeover’ of Chipotle Mexican Grill US business John Halsall, the chief executive charged with turning around South East Water after the company oversaw weeks-long water cuts in Tunbridge Wells, said the pressure was severe. Advertisement He said that if rainfall continued at roughly 60 per cent below average, “day zero” — when the reservoir would officially reach 0 per cent — would strike for Ardingly by mid-November. Top stories 1 Mortgage rates dip after weeks of painful rises Mortgages If dry conditions persisted, the chief executive said, he would have to apply to Dame Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, to escalate his firm’s drought plan. That could lead to the use of standpipes to provide water in the streets, a measure last seen in the infamously hot summer of 1976, as well as “rota cuts”, in which properties have water only for part of the day. John Halsall, chief executive of South East Water South East Water Halsall said because Ardingly was very “flashy”, meaning a reservoir with levels that change quickly, rain this month should push back day zero. However, he has ended exemptions to a months-long hosepipe ban in Sussex, which the company now expects will be in place until next year. South East Water is also one of three utility companies to have applied for a ban on non-essential use, alongside Southern Water and South West Water. Advertisement If granted by Eagle, it would give them powers to ban businesses from filling swimming pools, washing windows and vehicles. The last such ban was approved two decades ago. Ardingly’s water level has fallen from 22.8 per cent full a week ago to 20.2 per cent now CIARAN MCCRICKARD PHOTOGRAPHY Halsall admitted that his company’s recent efforts to persuade customers to use less water had not been as successful as he hoped. Water demand has fallen by about 5 per cent rather than about 10 per cent as expected. He understood that the outages in Tunbridge Wells and other towns and villages, which led his predecessor to resign , had undermined customer confidence. “We have lost trust because our performance hasn’t been good enough,” Halsall said. He said the firm was working to rebuild trust, including sending plumbers to people’s homes to reduce water use. One challenge is a recent increase in burst pipes. The exceptionally dry spring and summer has caused ground to dry out, which leads to more movement underground and pipes leaking. “It’s a double whammy for us because just as we’re trying to convince customers that we’re taking this seriously, that we’re doing our bit, they see all of these visible leaks springing out,” Halsall said. Advertisement The chief executive said he could not promise that Tunbridge Wells and other areas would avoid water outages this winter. “Can I guarantee it? No, I can’t. But I can guarantee we’re doing everything humanly possible to strengthen the position,” he said. Last year, Ardingly reservoir was in a similarly fraught situation , but the firm was saved by wet weather. Halsall told The Times that he would ensure measures had been implemented by next year to avoid a repeat of the vulnerability. He has rejected a past proposal for a 13km pipeline from another reservoir . “It’s not a credible solution,” he said, because it would pass across a number of protected habitats rich with wildlife, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Instead, he is considering an upgrade of a water treatment works and discharging more water upstream into the river Ouse, from which Ardingly draws. Reservoir levels continue to fall across the country. Storage across England is at 54 per cent , about a fifth below average for this time of year. Advertisement Research by the Environment Agency shows that it would take 20 per cent more rainfall than average until the end of April for all areas of England to emerge from drought status. Haywards Heath is forecast to have some light rain this week.