A drought has been declared in Yorkshire, the Environment Agency has said.

The region joins eight areas of England which were moved into drought status on Friday.

The last drought in Yorkshire was in autumn 2018.

Victoria Slingsby, environment planning and engagement manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “The high temperatures we are experiencing have exacerbated pressures on wildlife and our water environment in Yorkshire.

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"These extreme weather conditions become more likely with climate change.

“We are experiencing some much-needed rain this week, but it will not be enough to correct weeks of dry weather, and it will take more prolonged rainfall to wet up soils and replenish rivers, reservoirs and groundwater levels.

“It’s important for everyone to manage the amount of water they are using in this exceptionally dry period.”

The announcement comes days after Yorkshire Water announced a hosepipe ban as a result of the continued dry weather.

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In a statement issued by the company on Friday, they revealed that parts of Yorkshire had seen the lowest rainfall since records began more than 130 years ago.

The plan will come into effect on August 26 and the company has revealed it will update everyone on when it will end.

Yorkshire Water’s director of water, Neil Dewis stressed that the hot, dry weather means that Yorkshire rivers are running low and reservoirs are around 20 percent lower than expected this time of year.

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