North West England has officially entered a drought, the Environment Agency has said.
The region entered drought status on 21 May due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers, the agency said.
The area has seen the third-lowest rainfall between February and April on record since 1871, while England as a whole has seen its driest period over those three months since 1929.
It comes despite recent rainfall.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Across the North West we officially entered drought status on 21 May due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers.
“Despite the rain over the weekend levels remain low and we are encouraging people to be aware of the impacts of drought as we enter the summer period.”
The spokesperson added: “With further unsettled periods and rainfall over the coming weeks we will continue to closely monitor the situation and implement our North West Drought Plan.”
Read more: Will there be a hosepipe ban in the UK?
England’s overall reservoir storage was at 84% at the end of April – lower than at the same time of the year in the drought of summer 2022.
The Environment Agency has warned of a “medium” risk of drought in England this summer if there isn’t sustained rainfall.
The regulator has said there are currently no hosepipe bans planned, but warned water companies might have to implement measures including restrictions in the months ahead.
It comes as the government has stepped in to take control of the planning process for two major new reservoirs, warning UK water supplies are under threat.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed designated two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire “nationally significant”, which escalates them from local planning to central government.
The new reservoirs, the first for more than 30 years, are being proposed by Anglian Water, which wants to build the Lincolnshire reservoir south of Sleaford and is partnering with Camridge Water for the Fens Reservoir between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire.
On Monday, provisional figures from the Met Office showed the UK has had its sunniest spring since records began in 1910.
The UK recorded 630 hours of sunshine between 1 March and 27 May – beating its previous sunniest spring in 2020 by four hours, the forecaster said.
