The Environment Agency has issued a further 17 drought permits to Yorkshire Water to allow the company to conserve more water in reservoirs to secure public drinking water supplies.

The new permits cover the South West Groups of reservoirs which are on tributaries of the River Calder, River Colne and River Holme and will last for six months.

Yorkshire Water’s current licences require them to release a certain amount of water from the reservoirs to maintain the health of the rivers. With these permits in place, the company can reduce the amount of wate released, retaining more water in their reservoirs.

The Environment Agency has already granted Yorkshire Water 20 permits for reservoirs in other parts of Yorkshire.

Over the autumn and winter months the weather is usually wetter, however, this is not guaranteed. If there is more rain over the next few months it will help alleviate the impacts of the drought. Nevertheless, having these permits in place will enable Yorkshire Water to use any additional water to support public water supplies.

Serious deficiency in water supplies

Claire Barrow, Environment Agency Yorkshire Drought Manager, said:

Although we expect to see more wet weather over the autumn and winter it will take significant rain over several months to refill rivers and reservoirs, without which water supplies will continue to decline.

These additional permits will allow Yorkshire Water to retain their reservoir stocks for longer, so protecting that level of public supply.

We only issue a permit if we are content that there are clear plans in place to mitigate any impact on the environment, along with strong evidence from Yorkshire Water of their ongoing commitment to reduce leaks and improve water efficiency.

Over the autumn and winter, we will continue to work closely with Yorkshire Water as it develops the long-term solutions necessary to protect water resources while drought conditions continue across Yorkshire.

Yorkshire moved to drought status in June

Yorkshire officially moved to drought status on 12 June 2025 following six months of below average rainfall combined with high temperatures, which affected most of the country.

Reservoir levels across Yorkshire are notably low. The exceptional shortage of rainfall this year, and the possibility of a shortage continuing over the winter, led to Yorkshire Water applying for these permits to help alleviate water supply concerns.

To reduce unnecessary use of water and protect customer supplies and the environment, Yorkshire Water’s customers have been subject to a Temporary Use Ban (TUB) since 11 July amid a prolonged spell of warm and dry weather in the UK.

Yorkshire Water will need to inform the Environment Agency in advance of using any of the permits. They will also need to carry out monitoring and mitigation to assess and manage potential environmental impacts.