Half of England officially in ‘exceptionally serious’ drought

Half of England is officially in drought, with July set to be the driest on record after winter floods, the Environment Agency has said.The “flash drought” developed quickly because of unusually low rainfall and high temperatures.The seven areas officially in drought are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire).Helen Wakeham, the director of water at the Environment Agency and chair of the National Drought Group, said: “The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.“A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife and the economy.“We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated during the hot weather but every drop we can save is a drop more for nature and agriculture.”Wednesday’s announcement means England has experienced drought in three of the past five years: 2022, 2025 and 2026.July has had only 7% of the expected rainfall, falling to 1% across southern England, with no substantial rainfall on the way. Some parts of Devon have not experienced any rain for 50 consecutive days.The Environment Agency said record winter rainfall had helped to replenish reservoirs and groundwater, but reservoir storage has now fallen to 7.4% below the average for this time of year.The Walthamstow Wetlands reservoirs in east London. England’s reservoir storage is below average for this time of year. Photograph: Matthew Chattle/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesAlmost half of all reservoirs are classed as below normal levels, with Wimbleball, operated by South West Water, and Blagdon, operated by Bristol Water, both “exceptionally low”.The Environment Agency said current water reserves “should be enough for the coming months until the next period of sustained rainfall”.However, Will Lang, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, said there was “little sign of the widespread, sustained rainfall that would be needed to make a significant difference to the areas most affected by the dry weather”.In England, 40% of the population are under a hosepipe ban, with seven water companies – Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water and South West Water – all restricting water use.Recent research by Greenpeace UK found that water companies were wasting five times more water through leaky pipes than even a nationwide hosepipe ban could save.Paul Tompkins, the deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said this drought announcement “should matter to everyone”.“Water is a vital ingredient in food production, and without a secure supply, we cannot build resilient farm businesses or strengthen the country’s food security,” he said.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionThe Thames has run dry at Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire, close to its source. In England, 78% of rivers are now at below normal or lower levels. Photograph: Toby Melville/ReutersThe lack of rain also means rivers are running dangerously low. In England, 78% of rivers are now classified as below normal or lower and 17% of rivers are classed as “exceptionally low” for this time of year.The low river flows mean migratory fish, such as Atlantic salmon, are unable to move upstream. At Tuckers Pond in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, the Environment Agency used chemical aeration to save fish from dying as algae that had flourished in the hot and dry weather caused a crash in oxygen levels.As well as a lack of rain, the UK is experiencing its fourth heatwave of the summer. Temperatures are forecast to peak on Wednesday, with readings as high as 35C in the hottest places.Meanwhile, a new England and UK June daily temperature record of 38C was verified by the Met Office’s site weather assessment team on Wednesday – higher than the 37.7C figure previously reported.The Environment Agency said the record temperatures meant water was evaporating from soils and vegetation.Recent analysis found the record-breaking heatwaves are evaporating water from rivers, lakes, soils and plants. This has been made 80 times more likely by global heating as a result of fossil fuel pollution in western Europe and 40 times more likely in eastern Europe.This evaporation is making wildfires more likely. There have been 110 wildfires at England’s most protected sites so far this year.France and Spain are battling “apocalyptic” wildfires, with almost 4,000 people evacuated from tourist sites near Bordeaux.Waters surrounding the UK are also experiencing marine heatwave conditions. Scientists previously warned that high ocean temperatures globally could result in “mass mortality events” for some species.By 2055, England will need to find an additional 5bn litres of water a day to meet demand for public water supply.The NFU said there were simple steps the government could take to store more water, including unlocking the investment and planning changes needed to build more reservoirs. No major reservoirs have been completed in England since 1992.