A drought has been declared for several areas in England, with Essex included among them due to a lack of rainfall in the last couple of months.

The Environment Agency named a number of areas that were now in drought conditions, which included East Englia which Essex falls under.

It will see the Government body and water companies implementing more of their plans to manage the impacts of low water levels, which can include actions such as hosepipe bans.

Water Minister Steve Double said the action was already being taken by the Government, the EA and others to manage the impacts.

Hosepipe bans come into force amid hot and dry conditions in the UK

“All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe, and we have made it clear it is their duty to maintain those supplies”, he said.

“We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed.”

Will there be a hosepipe ban in Essex?

At the time of writing, none of the three water companies that supply Essex has said they will implement a hosepipe ban despite the announcement.

READ MORE: Essex officially in drought as part of East of England

Affinity Water, which supplies the northwest of Essex, put out a message on their social media encouraging cautious use of water even without plans for a hosepipe ban.

The posted: Today, the @EnvAgency announced that we're in a drought. There’s no hosepipe ban, but it's important to use water wisely. This will help protect our natural environment and reduce the need to impose bans next year."

Environment Agency drought areas

Currently, the areas where drought has been declared do not include Oldham or the northwest.

The Environment Agency has moved into drought in eight of its 14 areas:

  • Devon and Cornwall
  • Solent and South Downs
  • Kent and south London
  • Herts and north London
  • East Anglia
  • Thames
  • Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire
  • The East Midlands