An official drought has been declared in the North West despite high levels of rainfall over the last seven days.
The region went into drought status on 21 May due to unusually low levels in reservoirs in the region, which currently sit at 59% full compared to the average of 85% in an average year.
The drought status will be under review with higher levels of rainfall expected to continue in June.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “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.
“With further unsettled periods and rainfall over the coming weeks we will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We are grateful for the support of customers as we’ve seen demand reduce thanks to their efforts in saving water where they can, combined with more recent rainfall and cooler temperatures.
“Reservoirs, however, are still lower than we’d expect at this time of year and so we’re continuing to move water around our integrated network to get it to where it is needed, as well as bringing extra water into the system from other sources around the region.
“Leakage is at its lowest level and we’re repairing record volumes, with customers supporting us by reporting more leaks and we’d ask that they continue to do that as well as doing all they can to save and recycle water, to help protect their local environment.”
The Met Office is currently forecasting rain to continue at current levels for the rest of May and well into June.
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