Drought declared for swathes of England and all of Wales

(by Karma Loveday)

Last week, the Environment Agency (EA) formally moved the following areas into drought status: East Anglia; Hertfordshire and the whole of London; Thames Valley; Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; Devon and Cornwall; West Midlands; and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire). Natural Resources Wales also extended its partial drought designation to the whole of Wales.

The EA called this a “flash drought” – a fast developing situation caused by very low rainfall and high temperatures. The wet winter saw us through a dry spring smoothly, but now resources are depleting under the pressure of four heatwaves and ongoing dry weather. July has seen just 7% of expected rainfall, falling to 1% across southern England (8% for Wales) – and there is no substantial rain on the way. This is the second consecutive drought in England, and the third drought in the past five years (2022, 2025 and 2026).

In Scotland, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said recent rainfall has improved river conditions in parts of Scotland, with several catchments moving to lower levels of water scarcity. However, prolonged dry conditions mean rivers across much of eastern Scotland remain under significant pressure, with four catchments continuing to experience ‘significant scarcity’: Lunan Water, Lower Don, North Fife and Fife East Neuk. Temporary restrictions on licensed water abstractions remain in place in these catchments.

Meanwhile back in England, the following areas remain in ‘prolonged dry weather’ (the stage before drought): Kent & East Sussex; Cumbria & Lancashire; Greater Manchester, Merseyside & Cheshire; East Midlands; Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire; and the rest of Solent & the South Downs.

Reservoir storage has fallen to 75.3% for England – around 7.4% below the long-term average for the time of year. Almost half of reservoirs are classed as below normal levels. Wimbleball (South West Water) and Blagdon (Bristol Water) reservoirs are exceptionally low. Yorkshire and the North East currently remain in normal status.

78% of England’s rivers are now classified as below normal or lower. A sixth of rivers are exceptionally low for the time of year. Low river flows have led to 1,506 abstraction licence restrictions, while irrigation demand remains high. There has also been a rapid decline in farm storage reservoir levels, and concerns are rising about water availability for the rest of the year.

40% of the population is subject to a hosepipe ban. Agriculture and wildlife are struggling and there have been 110 wildfires on sites of special scientific interest.

The environmental regulators and their partners are taking a range of actions to manage the situation and mitigate impacts.