7,000 extra hospital beds this winter including in pop up sites the nhs in england unveils its plans to cope with expected pressures. and the shortlist is announced for hosting next year s eurovision song contest seven uk cities are in the running. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news channel. a drought has been declared across more than half of england, after the driestjuly on record in some areas of the country. it means water companies can impose stricter measures over how we use water at home and at work. a drought is defined by a lack of water due to extreme weather that has been built up over time. the four stages are normal, prolonged dry weather, drought and severe drought. eight areas have been moved to the third stage, including devon and cornwall, solent and south downs, kent and south london, herts and north london. as well as east anglia, thames, lincolnshire and northamptonshire, east midlands. in the wake of low rainfall and high temperatures, water c
planted now, some are turnips. sugar beet crops. the yield will be significantly reduced. find beet crops. the yield will be significantly reduced. and that in turn creates significantly reduced. and that in turn creates higher significantly reduced. and that in turn creates higher prices - significantly reduced. and that in turn creates higher prices during| turn creates higher prices during what is already a difficult time for people? what is already a difficult time for eo - le? , what is already a difficult time for eole? , ., , people? there is already huge inflationary people? there is already huge inflationary pressure - people? there is already huge inflationary pressure and - people? there is already huge inflationary pressure and the l people? there is already huge i inflationary pressure and the cost of living crisis. unfortunately we are using a lot of irrigation on farm, the energy costs are much higher, and farmers are seeing all of these increased costs as well.
and all we re asking retail is that returns are sustainable so we can afford to invest in the crops for next year and continue to make sure we are producing the food of the country needs. what restrictions do various parts of the agricultural sector face when it comes to water usage? the farmers that have irrigation are the only ones that rely on applying water on a large scale. many of them have irrigation reservoirs that are now empty. if they re not able to extract more water during the summer months anyway. where it s impacting is those with flexible licenses. there is also the chance that there is with permanent licences will be stopped from taking water out of the rivers. we are really asking that food production is prioritised and the significance of water to underwrite our food security is recognised so we can make sure we grow as many crops as possible