12 billion litres of rain . . . and we still need to save water!

The company says that its reservoirs were 91% full on average before April’s torrential showers.

Now they stand at an average of 98% full.

But Yorkshire Water says borehole levels are still far from healthy because of the driest 20 month period since records began.

In February, Yorkshire Water's boreholes in the east of the region were 20% lower than would normally be expected. As a result, the company made the decision to allow these to replenish by drawing less on them and instead sourcing water from northern and central parts of the region, using its £300 million underground grid to move around 20 east to where it was most needed.

Ian Stevens, water resources manager at Yorkshire Water, comments: "The record levels of rainfall in April have helped to replenish stocks, with reservoirs across the region looking very healthy.

"However, it's worth remembering that the last 20 months have been thedriest on record, with groundwater supplies really suffering as a

consequence.

"Borehole supplies always take much longer than reservoirs to

replenish, so whilst we have seen them recover slightly over the last

four weeks, there's still a long way to go before these are at anything like healthy levels.

"We're continuing to work hard to manage and balance stocks across the region, with our message to customers remaining the same as ever: Only use what you need, and be sensible around how you use what is a very precious resource."

Yorkshire Water staff will be in Rotherham on June 8 and 0 to offer free water saving gadgets and advice.

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