Anglian Water (AW) says it is closely monitoring the situation amid a fourth heatwave of the summer that is pushing temperatures over 30C in places.
Norfolk is currently experiencing “prolonged dry weather”, while the country as a whole is facing a “nationally significant incident” due to the lack of rainfall.
Old bathwater should be used to water plants rather than hosepipes, Anglian Water has said (Image: Newsquest)
And there is a chance the Environment Agency will declare drought conditions in five more regions by September if the situation does not improve.
Following the recent spike in temperatures, Anglian Water has renewed its calls for people to save water in the region.
A spokeswoman said: “As we hit another period of hot weather, we’re asking customers to continue to be water-wise to help us protect the region.
“This is because we can only take so much water out of the environment while leaving enough for nature to thrive.
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Anglian Water is closely monitoring its water levels (Image: Anglian Water)
“From using leftover water from your bath or paddling pool to water plants in the garden instead of using the hosepipe and holding off washing your car or patio until the warm weather is over – these are just some simple changes we can all make to ensure supplies remain stable this summer.”
AW says rainfall in July has helped river levels across the region but the ground remains very dry, making it hard for soil to absorb water, particularly when there are sudden downpours.
Leaks are also more likely at this time due to ground movements caused by temperature changes.
Despite the risk of drought conditions being imposed, AW remains reluctant to impose a total ban on using hosepipes.
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Soil has become very dry in Norfolk and other parts of the country (Image: Newsquest)
A spokeswoman added: “We’re continuing to monitor the situation closely, and we don’t want to put a restriction in place unless we absolutely need to.”
Five areas are officially in drought, with six more experiencing prolonged dry weather following the driest six months to July since 1976.
River levels are low, particularly for the Great Ouse in west Norfolk and wetlands are at risk of drying out.
Farmers are facing bans on abstracting water to conserve flows.
An aerial view of Stiffkey Marshes, an important wetland (Image: Mike Page)
The Environment Agency’s Director of Water, Helen Wakeham, has called on people to delete old emails as another way of conserving water.
This is because data centres use a large amount of water to keep them cool.
She said: “The current situation is nationally significant, and we are calling on everyone to play their part and help reduce the pressure on our water environment.”
An Environment Agency map of the drought status across the UK, as of August 5 (Image: Environment Agency)
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Temperatures have soared to more than 30C this week, with highs of 34C expected in places.
Chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Dr Will Lang, warned the second half of August could continue to be warm
He said: “This week is starting off warmer than of late across England and Wales with temperatures getting towards the mid-30s Celsius for some in the south.
“Conditions remain mostly settled across the south.
“As we move into the second half of August, there are indications of high pressure building and therefore largely settled conditions overall.
“Although dry weather is more likely, rain, showers or thunderstorms cannot be ruled out.”
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