UK drought spreads east and north-environment agency

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - A drought affecting southeast England has spread further north to parts of Yorkshire, as another dry month depleted river levels and underground water supplies, the UK's Environment Agency said on Wednesday.

Areas from Chesterfield to Scarborough have fallen into the drought zone, as well as areas around Sheffield, Doncaster, Hull and Driffield.

The rivers Don, Rother, Hull and Derwent are low or very low for the time of year but public water supplies are unlikely to be affected, the agency said in a statement.

The agency appealed to farmers and businesses to use water wisely and share available resources.

"Today south and east Yorkshire have moved into official drought status, reflecting the impact that this extremely dry period is having on the environment in the area," Trevor Bishop, the agency's head of water resources, said.

A large part of England is already in drought after extremely low rainfall for two winters, which has affected much of the southeast, including London, and East Anglia.

Earlier this month, the agency warned drought could spread to more regions of Britain if dry weather continued this spring, which prompted seven water companies to impose water restrictions on their customers. (Reporting by Nina Chestney)