The Environment Agency has today approved a drought permit for the River Wharfe, allowing Yorkshire Water to extract water when conditions allow from Lobwood near Addingham.
Yorkshire Water say this is needed to protect drinking water supplies, as reservoir stocks continue to decline following six consecutive months of below average rainfall.
The permit will apply for up to six months and will allow Yorkshire Water to abstract from the Wharfe at Lobwood the full volume of water released into the river from Grimwith reservoir, when conditions allow.
Objecting to the order this week, Prof Becky Malby from Ilkley Clean River Group said:
"The regulators must hold Yorkshire water to account for not maintaining its pipes and infrastructure, requiring urgent and rapid action from Yorkshire Water to stop leaks and ensure it has the capacity to do its job.
“Beyond resorting to legal restrictions on water usage through a hosepipe ban Yorkshire Water has done nothing to prepare for this water shortage, taking no responsibility to support the public to conserve water, and has made no plans to store and conserve water across its network. This is an abject failure of planning.”
Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said:
“The approval of this drought permit is the next step in our Drought Plan, as we continue to carefully manage water supplies for the region. We have been communicating with our customers for some time about the need to save water and have seen a fantastic response to the hosepipe restrictions, with a reduction in domestic water use of 10%. This has helped keep more water in the reservoirs, but we’re taking action through the drought order to further protect reservoirs in the short-term and enable them to refill quicker in the autumn and winter months when rain is predicted.
“We understand concerns for the environment and these factors have been considered throughout the Drought Plan process, as well as during the application for this permit. The application and implementation process of the drought permit are tightly regulated, and clear conditions are outlined as to when it’s possible to use the permit. Specialist independent consultants have already assessed the environmental risks of implementing a drought permit. These have been agreed by the Environment Agency as part of this process.
“Once implemented we will continue to monitor the permit to ensure any environmental impacts on the downstream ecology are mitigated. Applying for a drought permit on the Wharfe is not a decision we’ve made lightly, but it is the next essential step to protect water supplies for our customers and to protect the environment after an extremely dry year so far and the declaration of drought in our region.”
Customers of Yorkshire Water have been subject to a hosepipe ban since 11 July 2025.
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