Midlands enters drought after driest June in years

National World - LocalTV

Parts of the West and East Midlands have officially entered drought, following record-breaking heat and low rainfall. With river flows at their lowest since 1976, water demand is rising—and concerns are growing over supply, farming, and wildlife. Richard Gullick reports from Birmingham.

Transcript

00:00it's now official both the east and west midlands are in drought river flows are at their lowest in

00:09nearly 50 years and june saw just a fifth less rainfall than usual but that doesn't tell the

00:15whole story it was also england's hottest june on record three heat waves have already hit i thought

00:21is expected soon demand has surged supplies are falling reservoirs are drying and for millions

00:28of households the question now is how bad will it get seven trend says it hasn't imposed a host

00:34pipe ban in over 30 years but the pressure is mounting their teams are fixing record numbers

00:40of leaks the environment agency says companies must now follow their drought plans that means finding

00:46more leaks adjusting operations and helping customers use less water in an effort to ensure

00:53water usage is controlled water companies will be expected to follow stricter guidelines and some

00:59residents may face restrictions soon if the dry spell continues farming is already taking a hit

01:05lower rainfall means lower yields that affects food supply local jobs and long-term costs without

01:12sufficient water crops will wither and farm productivity will decline leading to price

01:17increases and potential shortages wildlife is also struggling some rivers are dangerously low breeding

01:24seasons have failed fisheries teams are now rescuing stranded fish from drying beds for these species it's

01:30a battle for survival without more rain the pressure will only grow we could be facing one of the most

01:37severe droughts in recent memory with far-reaching effects for wildlife agriculture and people alike

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