County officially in drought but no hosepipe ban

WORCESTERSHIRE has officially been declared in drought but water company bosses insist they have no plan to introduce a hosepipe ban.

The classification by the Environment Agency follows the driest year on record in 2011, a second winter of below-average rainfall and only just over 40 per cent average rainfall in February and March. Despite increased showers in April the agency say it would need months of sustained rainfall to replenish severely depleted groundwater and river levels across Worcestershire.

While other drought hit areas such as East Anglia and the South East of the country have seen the introduction of a hosepipe ban Severn Trent insist the contingency plans it has put in place and continued efforts by residents to save water would be enough to avoid imposing restrictions.

Doug Clarke, Severn Trent water efficiency manager, said: "Our year-round message remains the same - use water wisely as part of your everyday life. If we are all careful with the amount of water we use then we won’t have to take as much from the environment."

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