Rotherham farms and businesses to be hit as drought declared

DROUGHT conditions have been officially declared in Rotherham by the Environment Agency.

The decision to declare a drought in parts of North, South and East Yorkshire was taken after several months of below-average rainfall.

The EA said that the classification would not affect the public water supply, although farms and other businesses will be subject to restrictions.

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A new drought map published by the agency shows the whole of Rotherham as a drought area, with the catchments of the Rivers Don and Rother among the worst affected parts of the region.

Ben Hughes, the Environment Agency’s drought manager for Yorkshire, said: “We have been working with Yorkshire Water and it is not anticipated that there will be an impact on public water supplies at this stage.

“However, we expect to see lower river levels, and some small springs and streams drying up, which will affect people who use those waterways, as well as fish and other wildlife.”

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