On Friday, the Environment Agency classified eight of England’s 14 regions as drought-stricken. However, water companies including Anglian Water, Southern Water and South West Water have not imposed bans on the pipes. Thames Water said it has no plans to rush the tube ban due next week. Leaked documents seen by the Guardian from a meeting of the National Drought Task Force show evidence of the state of farming in England. tire ban graphic Half the potato crop is expected to fail as it cannot be irrigated, and even crops that are normally drought-tolerant, such as maize, have failed. The group was told that “irrigation options are diminishing with reservoirs rapidly emptying” and losses of 10-50% are expected for crops such as carrots, onions, sugar beets, apples and hops. Milk production is also falling nationally due to a lack of feed for cows, and wildfires are putting large tracts of farmland at risk. Farmers are deciding whether to drill crops for next year and there are concerns that many will decide not to, with dire consequences for the 2023 harvest. Cattle and other livestock are expected to be slaughtered early at lower weights because farmers are likely to run out of fodder for them in the winter. One of the driest areas is East Anglia, which is also home to much of England’s crop, including more than two-thirds of the sugar beet crop and a third of the potato crop. However, Anglian Water has ruled out banning the tubes for this summer, claiming it has good water levels in reservoirs. A spokesman said: “Today’s drought statement across the region we provide serves to underline the seriousness of the situation. But because of the investment we’ve made and the support of our customers, we still don’t foresee needing a tire ban in our area this summer.” But the farmers disagree. Tom Bradshaw, the vice president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said: “We have members who cannot pump irrigation water, but still in the East of England there is no pipe ban. We cannot believe that we are not allowed to irrigate to grow the fruits and vegetables that the country needs, but there is no ban on overuse by consumers.” He suggested the government should step in to ensure water companies did their part to mitigate the drought. “Ministers of Ministers must give priority to food production. Human nutrition is extremely important. “Minister Steve Double was on call today and we made it clear to him that we need to plan for a dry winter and we need to fill our reservoirs or next year’s food production could be balanced. Watered vegetables are something that many people will eat. if we don’t have irrigation there will be very low availability [of vegetables].” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Stuart Singleton-White, from the Angling Trust, agreed, saying that chalk streams in East Anglia may be facing irreversible damage due to the dry conditions. He said: “It still hasn’t been taken seriously. Take East Anglia: almost every chalk stream except Stiffkey is at extremely low levels. They had almost no rainfall and have some of the most agriculture in the country, so they need more water for irrigation. However, for some reason Anglian Water has not put a pipe ban in place. And the announced drought won’t change that. We are in a position where drought-classified areas do not impose tire bans.” He has called for a ban on hoses across the drought area: “There are still several water companies in the drought area who claim they have enough water and don’t need to ban hoses, but that will just confuse customers. “A drought-wide rubber ban would start sending the right messages that we’re all doing our part to save water.” Areas subject to drought measures are Devon and Cornwall, the Solent and South Downs, Kent and South London, Herts and North London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire and the East Midlands. The Environment Agency expects two more areas – Yorkshire and the West Midlands – to move into drought later in August. There was, however, heartening news at the meeting: the National Trust told those gathered that while they have had low river flows, dried up ponds and fires, there are parts of their land that are ‘thriving’, with plenty of water – those where they have introduced beavers for creating dams and storing water. A spokesman for Southern Water said: “We have restrictions in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and nowhere else because the resources do not require it.” The other water companies have been contacted for comment.
