Airfield water distribution could end this week

Water tankers have been using the former airfield as a base to redistribute water

Severn Trent Water hopes to finish using a former airfield as a base to redistribute water to other parts of the network this week.

The utility company has stationed a number of large water tankers at Ashbourne's Airfield Industrial Estate in Derbyshire for more than a month, filling up treated water from the area to send to other places.

A spokesperson said the number of tankers would be more noticeable due to the "hotter and drier weather", but added the town's water supply would be unaffected by the work.

They added the use of tankers to balance the network is something the company does all year round.

Recent figures show the water levels at reservoirs run by Severn Trent Water are at 50.4% overall - the lowest they have been since records of this type began.

Carsington Water near Ashbourne - one of the region's largest reservoirs - is currently about 55% full - down from 83% in late June.

Water levels at Carsington Water near Ashbourne have dropped nearly 40% compared to August 2024

Severn Trent Water recently urged the company's 8.5 million customers to be "sensible" with how they use water and said the service area had "50% less rain" than expected for a "normal summer".

The East Midlands officially entered drought last month following England's driest start to the year since 1976.

On the water redistribution operation, the firm said it had been using the airfield as it creates "far less disruption than accessing a point in a residential area".

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "We use tankers to move water around the network all year round as part of our normal operations, and we'd like to reassure those customers in the Ashbourne area who may have seen more tankers that it does not impact their water supply.

"In fact, the tankers are a great part of our efforts to keep taps running for our customers, and especially due to it being hotter and drier, the increase in tankers might be more noticeable."