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Severe drought declared in Sussex and other southern counties

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 15:02 · Archive

A severe drought has been declared in parts of Sussex, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset after the driest April to September in over a century.

A severe drought has been declared in parts of East and West Sussex, along with areas of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, after the South East and South West experienced their driest April to September for more than a century.

The declaration has been prompted by concerns about reservoir levels, particularly Ardingly Reservoir in Sussex, which has dropped far below expected levels for this time of year. A severe drought is declared when lack of water affects daily life and the environment in major ways, with potential lasting effects on farming, communities, the economy and nature.

Water companies have been told to step up drought planning and conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels. The Environment Agency will increase compliance checks on businesses abstracting water to ensure they take only permitted amounts. The agency has also been told to prioritise protecting public water supplies in affected areas where there are unavoidable trade-offs with environmental rules, allowing water companies to retain more water in depleted reservoirs. The Government said customers' water supplies would be uninterrupted, but urged people to use water wisely.

Severe drought declared in Sussex and other southern counties
Image: BBC Sussex

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How it is being reported

In this story: Sussex · Cornwall · Devon · Dorset · Somerset · Environment Agency · Ardingly Reservoir

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