England ‘only one hot spell away’ from another drought after dry February

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The National Drought Group, which advises the government, has cautioned that Britain is only one hot spell away from falling back into drought conditions where further hosepipe bans and restrictions on water would be needed. “While Scotland has so far had 59 per cent of its average February rainfall, the south of England has had just 6 per cent.” open image in gallery Low water levels at Baitings Reservoir reveal an ancient pack horse bridge as drought Provisional data supplied by the Met Office showed that there had been 168.4mm of rain in the UK this year. At a 10 February meeting of the National Drought Group, which brings together government agencies, water firms, farmers and environment groups, experts warned that the country was only one hot and dry spell away from a return to widespread drought this summer. The NDG said: “Members are planning for the worst case scenario of another hot, dry summer and are managing water resources to reduce the risk of drought measures being required.”