Emergency Information

If an emergency occurs which has an impact on Torbay, information and updates will be published on this page.

Drought Update

Recently the South West region of the Environment Agency, which comprises Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, parts of Hampshire and Wiltshire moved to environmental drought status after two exceptionally dry winters and a prolonged period of low rainfall, the second driest on record.

When an environmental drought occurs the natural environment, plants and wildlife are at risk. Groundwater levels are now at extremely low levels for this time of year and any further significant change in these levels are not expected until next autumn/winter.

The effect of an environmental drought will vary according to the local topography. Cornwall is dominated by hard impermeable granite with no major aquifers. Devon is similar in geology to Cornwall but with permeable sandstones towards the east of the county.

Chalk underlies the majority of the south of the Wessex area (Wiltshire, Dorset and parts of Hampshire)

Water companies have confirmed that public water supplies are currently unaffected and have no immediate plans for customer restrictions, but the water companies and the Environment Agency are urging everybody to use water wisely.

Although an environmental drought may not have an initial effect on people, it can affect the agricultural sector and reduce the amount of water available for abstraction and have an impact on the use of rivers for fishing, boating and swimming.

By the end of April we will have exceeded the average monthly rainfall, which is good for farmers and gardeners and the cooler temperatures will also ease the pressure on fish and wildlife in rivers.

However with dry soils most of the rain may run off quickly with the possibility of flash flooding. This will not help in topping up groundwater levels, which is what we really need to alleviate the environmental drought.

Private water supplies may also be affected. There is guidance and advice opens in a new window

for those concerned about private water supplies, outlining practical actions and includes useful links.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate has also issued guidance opens in a new window

and The Environment Agency: Drought opens in a new window

section is regularly updated.

Severe Weather Reports

Our Highways teams are constantly monitoring the weather and salting primary and secondary routes across Torbay where necessary.

The Council is reassuring motorists that its winter maintenance team are monitoring conditions 24/7 but also warns that although salt can be a huge help, it is not a cure, and has issued some top winter driving tips (below).

For more information visit the Met Office - South West Forecast opens in a new window

website and our Winter Gritting page.