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Soil moisture deficits have fallen to levels last seen at the end of the 1976 drought due to the summer heatwave and lack of...

Soil moisture deficits have fallen to levels last seen at the end of the 1976 drought due to the summer heatwave and lack of rain.

The knock-on effects of the driest July for England since 1935 – and the driest July on record for East Anglia, southeast and southern England – continues to pose serious challenges for crops and livestock.

England had just 35% (23.1mm) of its average rainfall for the month. The south and east were especially dry, with southern England reporting its driest July since records began in 1836 – with just 10.5mm of rain, 17% of its average rainfall.

Despite recent rain, hydrologists said the impact of the drought would continue to be felt  as they urged people to use water wisely. Agronomists said it would take months for soil moisture to recover to normal levels.

The British Growers Association said growers could lose 50% of crops including cauliflowers, cabbages, carrots, onions and potatoes. A big increase in farmgate prices was needed to cover the impact of the drought and rising input costs, it warned.

Restrictions

Calling for more widespread hosepipe bans last month, NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said: “We can’t believe we aren’t allowed to grow the fruit and vegetables the country needs but there is no ban on excessive consumer use.”

The National Drought Group – including senior decision makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and the the NFU – has agreed actions to protect water resources in the weeks ahead.

Drought group chairman and Environment Agency executive director Harvey Bradshaw said: “We are working very closely with water companies, farmers and other water users to manage the current situation.”

The Environment Agency said it was working with farmers, businesses and other abstractors to manage water availability – and ensure they get the water they need to be resilient while protecting the environment.

Drier soils

Water UK policy director Stuart Colville said water companies were working closely with the government and regulators to minimise the need for any restrictions and ensure rivers continue to flow.

Soil moisture deficits have continued to worsen as soils became drier across the country. Although this is expected during the summer, end of July deficits were greater than the long term average for the time of year.

Soils were drier than would be
typically expected for July throughout England. Rainfall helped reduce
soil moisture deficits in parts of northern England but across other regions were close to those at the end of July 1976.

The Met Office says there is an increased chance of warm conditions this autumn. Any rainfall is likely to follow the typical pattern of wetter conditions in the north-west and drier conditions in the south-east, it added.