Parched England leaves wildlife and farmers living on a knife edge after drought

With reservoirs at record lows and stream flows exceptionally low, England is desperate for rain.

After months of drought and sunshine, farmers in the driest parts of the country say it is likely to also be a bitter harvest after four heatwaves.

Wildlife is also suffering with dehydrated hedgehogs and owls being treated at rescue centres across the country, while the freshwater habitats beavers rely on have dried up.

Standing in the middle of the River Avon at Fordingbridge, Hamps, this week - now at its driest since 1976, our most infamous heatwave until now - I saw just how parched England is.

At Southampton Common (pictured) the lake has dried up so much that fish are now struggling to remain fully submerged in the little patch of water that remains.

More than half of our reservoirs have recorded a decrease of over 10% of total capacity in comparison to the end of July, while Ardingly reservoir (pictured) recorded the largest decrease at 20% - promoting drought warnings in six parts of the country.

With the UK set to have one of the hottest and driest summers on record, impacting the cost of food as well as causing wide scale water restrictions, experts say that we should be better prepared.

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Climate change is making extreme weather, including prolonged droughts and heatwaves, increasingly common and what we are experiencing now could be a taster of what might come in the future. Forecasts indicate that by 2055 England's public water supply could be short by 5bn litres a day without urgent action.

But Dr Janina Gray, head of science and policy at WildFish says their monitoring data has been sounding the alarm for many years

She said: “England is not prepared for a drought. Despite the dire warning signs, water companies and governments have consistently failed to effectively plan ahead and safeguard the nation’s water supply. Now, our rivers and the wild fish that live in them are paying the price.

“Drought-hit rivers struggle from low water levels which can prove deadly to wild fish. Fish use water to extract oxygen, and so shallow, warm water which holds less oxygen makes it harder for them and other freshwater species to breathe. At the same time, reduced water levels mean sewage, chemicals, and other dangerous pollutants are more concentrated, further degrading water quality.

“This toxic mix of drought on already stressed river systems will lead to mass fish deaths, and could push local populations — like the iconic salmon of the Itchen — towards extinction.”

Wolds Hedgehog Rescue, based in Driffield, East Yorkshire, said it was caring for dozens of animals found severely dehydrated in the high temperatures. It said the problem was being made worse by the presence of parasitic fluke eggs in the puddles hedgehogs do find to drink from.

"It's a killer, no doubt about it, and it drives them absolutely demented," said Ann Day, who runs the service.”

The lack of rain in the south has also led to one of the first beavers to be released into the wild under a government licence dying as a consequence of the drought.

After the freshwater habitat dried up, the male entered the sea in search of a new stream and ingested too much saltwater and was later found washed up in Swanage Bay, Dorset.

Jamie Marsh, Director of Nature Recovery at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said: “The drought and heatwave are driving water levels dangerously low, threatening both wildlife and our water supply. As rivers, ponds and wetlands dry out, aquatic habitats are lost and pollutants become more concentrated, creating toxic conditions for animals. All wildlife depends on water and right now, it’s disappearing.”

“This isn’t just about wildlife. Our aquifers and rivers supply drinking water and supports agriculture farming, so drought also puts food security at risk.”

Millions of households are now currently under a hosepipe ban. While it might seem an inconvenience, farmers are concerned how the lack of rain is now impacting their ability to feed their livestock and grow crops.

Joanne Coates, who runs an upland farm in the Yorkshire Dales with her partner, said: "We’ve only managed to make about half the usual number of silage bales so far this year. Unless we get decent rain soon, our second cut will be poor – and that means we’ll be forced to either buy extra silage or reduce livestock numbers. This isn’t a one-off. Climate change is making farming much more unpredictable. "

Martin Williams, 60, a third-generation arable farmer on the River Wye, in Herefordshire, said the "devastatingly dry" growing season had led to a 50 per cent drop in his cereal and potato crop yields, and between a 70 and 80 per cent drop in grass grown for animal feed.

This year's difficult harvest follows the second-worst harvest on record last year and the worst in 2020. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit is warning that the UK is on course for its sixth or seventh worst harvest since records began 40 years ago.

But Jack Ward, director of the British Growers Association, said while quite a lot won't have covered the cost of growing and harvesting the crops, shoppers may not notice it on the supermarket shelves.

He said about 80 per cent of crops grown in the UK will go through big retailers, who will filter out any vegetables that do not meet their quality standards "so they will start scouring Europe to fill the gaps".

RSPCA Senior Scientific Officer Verity Miles aded: “Our wild animals are now facing bigger challenges than ever with the ongoing problems of climate change and habitat loss. The current drought may be exacerbating their suffering.

“The RSPCA’s wildlife rescue and rehab centres often take in hedgehogs which are underweight and weak. In dryer weather, this may be caused by food - like earthworms - being less available to them.

“We know that badgers also suffer; worms bury deeper into the ground during hot, dry conditions and that makes it difficult for the hungry wild mammals to find them.

“The heat may also have an impact on barn owl populations, which are closely linked to numbers of field voles, their main prey. Drought can reduce plant growth, resulting in fewer nesting areas for small mammals and greater exposure to other predators. This affects how successfully barn owls can breed. However, on a positive note, barn owls are opportunistic breeders and if the weather is mild and food is abundant, they may breed again later in the summer or even early autumn.

“To help wildlife, keep areas of your garden ‘wild’ and insect-friendly, leave out fresh, clean water and food sources (such as meaty food like dog food for hedgehogs), and nuts, seeds and grains for birds. A pond will provide a natural source of water and attract food sources including insects.”