Water crisis deepens

And North West Water is set to announce drastic measures to combat the devastating drought that is continuing to hit supplies, despite the recent snowfalls.

January has been the driest month on record and Lancashire and the Pennines have been the worst hit areas with local reservoirs down to a fifth of their normal levels.

The measures, to be announced next week, will involve schemes to divert supplies from areas of higher rainfall to areas where supplies are low.

"In the Pennine area overall we have just 21 per cent of supplies whereas last year we had 98 per cent, " said spokesman Alex Lanceley. "That gives you an idea of the seriousness of the situation.

"It really is the Pennines and Lancashire that are struggling." He added that the recent snows had only had a minimal effect on replenishing reservoirs.

As well as continuing the hosepipe ban which has been enforced since the summer, North West Water will be announcing more schemes to move water more easily about the region.

At present the main Lake District supply reservoirs of Thirlmere and Haweswater are 70 per cent full but are having to provide water for a much wider area. The water company is also applying to the Department of the Environment for a drought order to renew its licence to draw water from Windermere and Ullswater lakes should this be necessary.

However, Mr Lanceley said the company was not yet considering the drastic measure of standpipes in the street.

"The outlook is not good but it is not desperate and we will be announcing a series of measures to rectify the problem shortly."

A spokesman for Manchester Weather Centre said it was impossible to predict when the drought would end.

He said: "The basic reason we've had a lot of dry weather is because we have been getting easterly winds from the continent rather than the normal south-westerly winds which bring weather fronts all the time."

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