Yorkshire has officially entered drought status because of low water levels in reservoirs and rivers, the Environment Agency has announced.
The region was in "prolonged dry weather" status since the end of July after a lack of spring and summer rainfall, but was upgraded to "drought" on Friday.
Dry September and low river flows
It follows an unusually dry September, with the ongoing lack of rainfall into the autumn months causing the flow in rivers and groundwater levels to reach very low levels in parts of Yorkshire, officials said.
The region joins all of central, southern and eastern England in drought status, while the North East and North West remain in prolonged dry weather.
Impact and next steps
Yorkshire Water has issued an update on a possible hosepipe ban following the announcement.
