Farming News - EA: Drought likely to continue into 2026 due to record dry weather
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EA: Drought likely to continue into 2026 due to record dry weather
- Despite recent rainfall, a large part of the country remains in drought across England as we enter winter.
- England’s reservoirs should be 76% full at this time of year - but many of them (41%) are under half full.
- Climate change will see more weather extremes now and in coming years.
The National Drought Group has warned England must prepare for an ongoing drought in 2026, unless there is significant rain this autumn and winter.
There are concerns about the country’s water resources because of this year’s record dry spring and warm summer.
The expert group - which includes the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, the National Farmers’ Union, Canal & River Trust, anglers, and conservation experts – met in central London this morning.
They heard during an Environment Agency presentation that England needs at least 100% of average rainfall (482mm) to largely recover from drought by the end of March next year. For context, only two months of 2025 have seen more than 100% so far.
National Drought Group chair Helen Wakeham said: “The recent rain is very welcome, but it needs to be sustained over the next six months to ensure we are ready for next year.
“We need a lot more rain this winter to fill up our rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater. Even if it is wet outside, I urge people to use water as efficiently as possible to protect the environment and public water supplies.
“The changing climate means we must prepare for more droughts. Securing our water resources needs to be a national priority. We expect water companies to continue their water-saving messaging, even through the winter, as well as carry on reducing leaks.”
All sectors - including water companies, agriculture, navigation, and energy – have been urged to take steps now to increase their resilience for a prolonged drought.
This includes water companies promoting more efficient water use and increasing their efforts to reduce leakage. They must also make sure their assets, such as pipes, pumps and reservoirs, are working well and submit applications for drought permits early to maximise water storage.
Farmers have been urged to check their licences and speak to the EA if they are likely to need flexibility. They have also been asked to look to increase reservoir storage and work with their neighbours to share water, where possible.
Meanwhile the public have been urged to continue to use water wisely, including turning off taps when not in use or fitting a water butt to capture winter rainfall. Everyone has a part to play, to help mitigate the impacts of the dry year.
The meeting heard:
- September saw 149% of long-term average rainfall across England but, despite Storm Benjamin, October (up to 28th) has seen 77%.
- There has been a regional divide with rainfall. The north west received 190% in September and the north east 171%. The south east received 126% and the east 100%.
- The rain has helped the two areas of Cumbria and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire both move out of drought status into drought recovery today. While this signals an improvement in this area, the position is fragile and with further dry weather, these areas could move back to drought.
- Average reservoir storage is now 63.3% compared to the average for this time of year of 76%.
- Ardingly, in west Sussex, and Clatworthy and Wimbleball both in Somerset, are below 30%
- The very low level in Ardingly was the reason the EA declared drought in parts of Sussex earlier this month, but recent rainfall has helped.
- South East Water (SEW) has submitted two Drought Orders to Defra. The first, for the River Ouse, and the second for a non-essential use ban which, if implemented, would see water restrictions on some businesses. Both are still being considered by Defra.
- Yorkshire Water has applied for, and been granted, one Drought Order for the River Ouse and 44 Drought Permits.
- Severn Trent has applied for a Drought Permit to help refill Carsington Water reservoir. This is under consideration.
- Temporary Use Bans (aka hosepipe bans) imposed by Yorkshire Water, Thames, South East Water and Southern Water need to remain in place until their water resources situation recovers.
- Recent rainfall has helped ease pressure on the agricultural sector but there are concerns heading into winter on feed availability for livestock due to poor grass growth over the spring and summer.
- Navigation on the Canal & River Trust network is gradually improving including key lock flights on the Oxford and Grand Union Canal now open.
The Met Office declared the summer of 2025 as the hottest since records began in 1884, while the spring was the driest in 132 years.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Dr Will Lang, said: "This year has been characterised by notable rainfall deficits across much of England.
“By 28th October, provisional data shows England had only 61% of its expected annual rainfall, when we’d normally have about 80% at this time of the year (based on 1991–2020 average). While recent rainfall has helped, regional variations remain, and drought conditions continue to affect several areas.
"Looking ahead, there is an increased risk of dry spells through late autumn and early winter and regional differences in rainfall continue to be likely. Without sustained and widespread precipitation, a consistent recovery from drought remains uncertain.
“We continue to work closely with the Environment Agency and other partners to monitor conditions and support preparedness efforts as we move into the winter period."
Water is finite and there are competing demands between public use, businesses, agriculture, and the environment. In dry weather, water still needs to be abstracted from rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater and a drought is only over when these levels are fully replenished. This can take months – sometimes years.
The National Drought Group praised the public for following the hosepipe bans, where in place, as this has kept more water in local rivers and lakes.
The Environment Agency continues to work with Government, including Defra and the Cabinet Office, on the drought response, which is still deemed a “nationally significant incident.”
Water Minister Emma Hardy said: “It’s been encouraging to see the scorched summer lawns returning to green in recent weeks. But we know the prolonged lack of rainfall continues to pose risks to public water supplies, farming, and the environment.
“We are closely monitoring all regions - especially those still experiencing drought – and working with the National Drought Group and water companies to maintain supplies.
“We face increasing pressure on our water resources. That is why this Government is taking decisive action, including the development of nine new reservoirs to help secure long-term water resilience.”
Last week, Waterwise ran its annual Water Night campaign, encouraging people to turn off non-essential taps between 5-10pm in a symbolic gesture to notice daily water habits. Several landmarks, including Mont Orgueil Castle in Jersey and The Mersey Gateway Bridge were lit in blue as a show of support.
Over the course of the spring and summer, water companies – particularly in the drought areas of Yorkshire, East and West Midlands and parts of Sussex - have also taken the below actions to conserve supplies.
- Yorkshire Water has repaired 11,113 leaks since the start of April – one every 26 minutes.
- Yorkshire Water has sent out around 4,000 water saving kits to customers and donated 500 water butts to local community groups.
- Yorkshire Water has upgraded 63,000 water meters to make them smart. In total, the firm has installed 164,000 smart meters, saving 2.2million litres per day by identifying leaks.
- South West Water has launched its Every Drop Counts – Come Rain or Shine campaign providing practical tips for saving water and supporting customers with water meter advice.
- South West Water repaired over 16,100 leaks last year, reducing leakage by over 10 million litres a day.
- Bristol Water has also launched a new Come Rain or Shine campaign and is giving away 1,750 free water butts to customers.
- Thames Water has accelerated its smart meter rollout, installing more than 72,000 since July.
- Thames Water has carried out over 580 Smarter Business visits since July, saving over 2.3 million litres per day.
- Thames Water now has over 50,000 acoustic sensors to detect leaks.
- Wessex Water’s Target 20 campaign has been encouraging customers to save at least 20 litres of water per day, roughly 15% of average daily use.
- Wessex Water emailed over 250,000 customers with tips on how to save water.
- South East Water has increased leakage repairs by 16% compared to last year, fixing 12,326 leaks between April and September.
- South East Water has also speeded up the fixing of leaks – reducing the time taken to fix from an average of 15 days to 12.
- Affinity Water repaired 9,725 leaks between April and September 2025 - representing a 13.45% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
ADDITIONAL NDG PARTNER QUOTES:
Nicci Russell, CEO of Waterwise, said: “Our Water Night survey revealed that while 90% of participants were aware of regional droughts experienced across the UK this year, awareness of the long-term risks of water scarcity is far lower.
“Only 23% of respondents said they 'know well' that the UK could face a significant water shortfall in coming years, with more than half having heard the risk but lacking details. The findings highlight a critical knowledge gap - people notice immediate drought events but may underestimate the scale of the long-term challenge.
“Even if water companies plugged all the gaps, we still need everyone at home and at work to reflect how valuable water is in their own behaviour. So, making it easy for all of us to waste less water, and explaining why, is more important than ever.”