DROUGHT IN FIVE U.K. COUNTIES

Sky News

Five UK Counties In The Grip Of Drought
9 Comments8:28am UK, Friday June 10, 2011

Emma Birchley, East of England correspondent

Five parched counties are officially suffering from drought after an exceptionally dry spring.

But despite the drought classification for Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, parts of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Norfolk, the water shortages are not expected to prompt hosepipe bans for most areas.

The announcement was made by the Environment Agency after monitoring groundwater, rivers and in reservoirs across the country.

It follows what the Government says was the driest spring on record in South East and Central Southern England, and the driest right across England and Wales since 1990.

And for many farmers, there are now restrictions on the amount of water they can use to irrigate rain-deprived crops.


With agricultural products it's down to the climate and weather so we know it is something we are going to have to watch. But obviously this year the drought has been much more widespread than it has in previous years.

Head brewer Fergus Fitzgerald at Adnams
"I think the cereal crops, particularly the spring-sown ones, you are going to lose up to half your yield," said Kate Leith, whose family runs a root vegetable and cereal farm at Wantisden, Suffolk.

"Some fields will be wiped out completely and it won't be worth harvesting them at all."

Ministers are holding a summit with farmers, water companies and environmental groups to discuss the way forward.



Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman


Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said tough decisions have to be made.

"We'll look at how to prioritise who can abstract the water that we have because it's obviously really important to get that right to try and make sure that farmers have got enough to produce the crops for the food we need to eat."


With many essentials costing a record amount, it’s no surprise supermarket bosses are being called to a crisis summit with ministers to discuss the impact of drought conditions.

Dharshini David, business correspondent
And that is the worry. If crops fail, the knock-on effect is likely to be a more expensive shopping bill.

"It's adding to the upward pressures that are already there on food prices, things like the rising world demand and increasing production costs," said Richard Dodd from the British Retail Consortium.

"But I think it would be easy to exaggerate how significant it is because we rarely get a year when the weather is perfect for farmers."


We'll look at how to prioritise who can abstract the water that we have because it's obviously really important to get that right to try and make sure that farmers have got enough to produce the crops for the food we need to eat.

The Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman
At Adnams in Southwold they rely on barley. Head brewer Fergus Fitzgerald expects wholesale prices to rise by 40% compared to the cost in January. That will put 5p on a pint.

He said: "It's always a concern. I think with agricultural products it's down to the climate and weather so we know it is something we are going to have to watch.

"But obviously this year the drought has been much more widespread than it has in previous years."



As if we havn"t got enough problems.!!!!

Panda

I don't think we need to worry about water as of now - it's on it's way. Don't forget we enter the rainy season come July/August its going to be pelting it down for summer!

Angelique wrote:Panda

I don't think we need to worry about water as of now - it's on it's way. Don't forget we enter the rainy season come July/August its going to be pelting it down for summer!

Angelieque,

Believe it or not it has been snowing quite heavily in Snowdonia, whatever happened to "Seasons"???

Yes it was apparently snowing in Hawaii in January they were building snowmen:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/12/snow-in-hawaii-it-is-poss_n_808226.html

This may be difficult to believe but I think it's because of the reduction in carbon emissions. Even though I am a staunch environmentalist I am sure that global climate change has been happening for years and reducing carbon emission is actually changing the weather patterns. JMO

ETA whatever we try to do to change the climate the Earth itself will change it to compensate. So snow in Hawaii is compensation effect.

Angelique wrote:Yes it was apparently snowing in Hawaii in January they were building snowmen:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/12/snow-in-hawaii-it-is-poss_n_808226.html

This may be difficult to believe but I think it's because of the reduction in carbon emissions. Even though I am a staunch environmentalist I am sure that global climate change has been happening for years and reducing carbon emission is actually changing the weather patterns. JMO

ETA whatever we try to do to change the climate the Earth itself will change it to compensate. So snow in Hawaii is compensation effect.

Hi Angelique, I"m more inclined to think it is all the Nuclear testing, Drilling for Oil below Water and the Earth"s crust, Weather patterns are changing
dramatically with Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcano Eruptions, Flooding , Drought , cutting down the Rain forest certainly hasn"t helped. There are no
Seasons any more.

Panda

Yes.... well everything we do to planet Earth will have an effect one way or another. It's just that I have a theory about the carbon sitting up there in the atmosphere was/is actually shielding us from some of the penetrating rays which heat up the Earth.

But as you say, drilling - especially the sort near Blackpool, was it? - it has got to have some effect if it did cause a tremor.