00:00Here's today's Derbyshire Times video bulletin.
00:04A speeding driver who caused a head-on Derbyshire crash, which left two people with serious injuries, has been jailed.
00:11Witnesses described seeing a Mercedes vehicle being driven by John Wilds at travelling between 70mph and 80mph just before the collision and the high peak.
00:20As he approached a temporary set of traffic lights, he overtook several stationary cars while the lights were on red, and collided head-on with an oncoming Renault Scenic.
00:28The force of the collision sent the Scenic into the air before it landed on its side.
00:33The driver and passenger were both trapped in the car and had to be cut free by the Fire and Rescue Service.
00:38Wilds was uninjured in the collision, which occurred in December 2023, and was arrested.
00:43The 38-year-old of Hearst Crescent in Glossop was subsequently charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
00:51He admitted the charges and appeared at Manchester's Minchell Street Crown Court, where he was jailed for four years.
00:56He was also banned from driving for six years, and must take an extended retest at the end of a disqualification period.
01:05Seven Trent has issued an update amid fears that a hosepipe ban may be introduced across Derbyshire,
01:10with water levels dwindling at a number of reservoirs and temperatures on the rise this week.
01:15Derbyshire was declared to be in drought by the Environment Agency on July 15th,
01:20following the driest spring across the East Midlands for 132 years.
01:23Water levels at a number of reservoirs across the county have also dwindled,
01:28leading to fears that a hosepipe ban might be introduced.
01:31Bans are already in place across Yorkshire, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Swindon.
01:37Anyone caught breaking the rules there could be hit with a £1,000 fine.
01:41The Howden Reservoir at Banford has been impacted most significantly by the dry spell,
01:46and currently sits at just 27% of its total water capacity.
01:49Dry conditions are also expected to continue for the rest of this week and next across Derbyshire.
01:55Seven Trent, however, says that they are confident of avoiding the first hosepipe ban across the area of their operation in decades.
02:02A spokesperson said,
02:03We haven't issued a hosepipe ban in 30 years,
02:06and we're confident our great track record will continue this summer and beyond.
02:10We're investing record amounts in new pipes,
02:13finding and fixing more leaks than ever,
02:15and upgrading and developing new treatment works,
02:17adding hundreds of millions of litres of drinking water into our network.
02:21Let's go.
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