Hosepipe ban announced for millions more in England ahead of drought ruling

theguardian.com:

Yorkshire Water has become the fifth water company in England and Wales to announce a hosepipe ban owing to the hot and dry conditions.

The company, which has more than 5 million customers, said the restrictions would come into effect from 26 August.

On Friday, a hosepipe ban came into force for about 1.4 million South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex, and a drought was expected to be declared for some parts of England.

The National Drought Group, made up of government and agency officials, water companies and other groups such as the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), is set to meet on Friday to discuss the prolonged dry weather.

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There are expectations a drought could be declared for the most affected areas of England in the south and east, after the driest July on record for some areas and the driest first half of the year since 1976. As a result, the Environment Agency and water companies would implement further plans to manage the impacts of low water levels, which can include actions such as hosepipe bans.

By Friday afternoon, temperatures are to soar as high as 35C in southern areas of the UK, which will be hotter than the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados. A four-day amber warning for extreme heat from the Met Office is in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday, with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel. There is also a heat health alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.

The ongoing dry conditions, combined with last month’s