Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has urged restraint on household water use Parts of England are officially in a drought following the dry spring, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said.
Areas of East Anglia are in drought, with parts of the south-west and south-east of England, the Midlands and Wales in a “near-drought” state.
In the drought-affected areas, Anglian Water and Cambridge Water say there is no threat to public water supplies.
But Severn Trent Water says there may be restrictions if rainfall stays low.
Both the south-east and central-southern regions of England have had their driest spring on record.
Across England and Wales as a whole it has been the driest spring since 1990.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is set to hold a second drought summit to review the impacts of the continuing dry weather.
She said: “Water companies are confident that supplies are high enough so that widespread restrictions to the public are unlikely. We’re doing all we can to reduce the impact on agriculture and wildlife, but everyone can play their part.
“Households know how to use less water and everyone can do their bit to use water more wisely, not only through the summer, but throughout the year.”
Low levels of water are causing considerable problems for farmers, with crop yields being hit.
In parts of the Fens, some farmers and growers have volunteered to irrigate only at night to reduce evaporation, and co-operatives have formed to share limited amounts of water available.
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