Full of hope as rain tops up reservoirs
Reservoirs in the West Midlands and Staffordshire are full to the brim thanks to months of heavy rainfall in the area.
It comes a year after much of the country was about to be hit by severe drought with seven water companies in the South East imposing hosepipe bans and water restrictions after the driest 18-month period for 100 years.
However, fast forward 12 months and water company bosses say the reservoirs are at capacity.
South Staffordshire Water says its Blithfield reservoir at Rugeley, which can hold 18,000 megalitres, is currently completely full, while Severn Trent says its Tittesworth reservoir near Leek in Staffordshire, which holds 6,440 megalitres, is 99.9 per cent full.
Chasewater reservoir, rear Brownhills, which was drained of water in 2010 amid safety concerns, is also full to the top, according to councillors.
The site's 200-year-old dam was repaired to the tune of £5.5 million in 2011 after experts feared a breach could flood nearby homes.
It had been thought it would take until the middle of this year for the site to refill but the extra rainfall in recent months has meant levels have returned to normal much quicker than expected.
Staffordshire County Council's Mark Winnington, cabinet member for environment and assets, said: "As far as I know, it is as good as full now. With the massive amount of water we have had over the last year, it has exceeded our expectations."
Marcus O'Kane, water resources strategy manager for Severn Trent, said: "Looking ahead to the spring and summer period, our water resources are in a very good position.
"Our reservoirs are currently over 97 per cent full on average across the region, with Tittesworth reservoir in Staffordshire at 99.9 per cent full.
"This time last year, a good proportion of our reservoirs were at less than 50 per cent full.
"The Wolverhampton area is supplied with a mixture of groundwater and water from the River Severn, both of which are again in a very healthy state.
"Our plans for the coming year are in place, and we are confident that we are in a good position to provide our customers with a continuous supply of water throughout the year."
However, he urged customers to ensure they did not waste water over the coming months.
He said: "We would still ask our customers to be sensible with the amount of water they use. You never know when the next drought might be.
"Getting into good habits now will help everyone in the future."
