Record low rainfall puts UK on drought watch

LONDON - Large parts of Britain are facing a drought this year after groundwater reached levels not seen for more than 35 years, which could spell restrictions for farmers and households.  

Rivers, canals and reservoirs are running low after a second dry winter in a row, with some areas receiving less than 70 percent of normal amounts.

Ministers are meeting on Monday with water companies, the environment agency, weather forecasters and agricultural bodies to see what can be done to mitigate its impact and prevent future droughts.

"Unfortunately ... there is a high risk that parts of the country will almost certainly be in drought next summer," Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said on her department's website.

While Scotland has seen its heaviest rainfall since records began 100 years ago and Wales and northwest England have been relatively wet, other parts of England have had their driest 12 months on record, with central and eastern England particularly affected.

Central England has seen about 70 percent of its average rainfall, or less.

Two water companies, Anglian Water and Southern Water, have been forced to apply for drought permits, allowing them to take water from new sources.

South East Water has applied for a drought order, which goes further and restricts the non-essential use of water. About 65,000 properties are at risk of standpipes or rota cuts to supply.

Unless England sees more rainfall, many more households face rationing, such as hosepipe bans, though authorities are not yet talking about people having to queue for water, as they did in many parts of Britain during a heatwave in 1976.