Parts Of England Suffering 'Crippling Drought'

A summit is being held amid fears that parts of England are suffering a "crippling drought" with rivers and groundwater levels lower than in 1976 - the hottest year on record.
With the South East set to follow eastern England into drought, the Environment Department is bringing together water companies, farmers and wildlife groups to discuss potential water shortages.
It comes after the latest Environment Agency briefing said parts of the East continue to be in the grip of drought, while dry weather has hit swathes of the South East.
They would need well above average rainfall over the next few months for groundwater levels to recover, but the Midlands, Anglian region and South East all had below average rainfall in January.
Thames Water said it was no longer a question of whether there would be a drought in its area, only when and how bad it would be.
It has issued a plea for customers to help find leaks before the summer months.
Richard Aylard, sustainability director for Thames Water, said the Thames Valley and London had received below-average rainfall for 18 months of the past 23 months.
"We all need to recognise that the water coming out of our taps comes from our local river or from the aquifer that feeds that river," he said.
"And, the less water we all use, the less we need to take from the river."
Flows in the River Lee, which goes through Hertfordshire and northeast London, are only 24% of the long-term average, while the Kennet in Wiltshire has seen flows of 31%.
The Kennet has dried up completely to the west of Marlborough. The Angling Trust's chief executive Mark Lloyd said it should be "10 to 15 yards wide but it's a pile of stones that you can walk across in ordinary shoes".
The Darent, in Kent, is at exceptionally low levels, as is the Wye in Surrey, while a number of other rivers are well below normal levels.
The lack of rain has also seen groundwater levels drop significantly and Mr Lloyd said public awareness was lacking.
"The vast majority of people are unaware that we are in the middle of a crippling drought - river levels are lower in many areas than they were in 1976," Mr Lloyd said.
"Rivers and wetlands are without doubt the most important wildlife areas left in Britain and water levels are vital to support many species that rely on them."
Ahead of the summit, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "All of our activity is going to be carefully co-ordinated so that we are able to minimise the effects of unpredictable water availability and support people in doing the right thing in taking sensible measures to save water."