Farming News - National Drought Group meeting on 21 Sep
News
National Drought Group meeting on 21 Sep
The National Drought Group met again on Monday 21st September to discuss the current water situation across England and the impact of this year’s drought.
The focus of the meeting was nature, with the number of confirmed environmental incidents this year now surpassing that of last year’s drought.
There were no status changes today, but the situation remains serious with the midlands and the south in drought and the north in prolonged dry weather.
Tony Grayling, Strategic Drought Lead and National Drought Group chair, said:
“September’s rainfall has been welcome, so far, but we know it will take months of significant and sustained rainfall for the drought to end.
“September’s rainfall has been welcome, so far, but we know it will take months of significant and sustained rainfall for the drought to end.
“Environmental impacts continue to increase. The short-term impacts of drought have been visible over the summer, but we know the effects on wildlife populations and ecosystems will last for years to come.
“The speed of drought recovery depends both on rainfall and demand for water. Therefore, it is vital we all still use water wisely in the coming months to help our environment recover from the impacts of an exceptionally dry spring and summer.”
Today’s meeting heard the number of environmental incidents (such as algal blooms, fish deaths, water quality incidents and low flows) has slowed down in recent weeks in response to cooler and wetter weather. However, there have been 349 incidents recorded in 2026, which exceeds the 321 recorded in 2025.
Natural England also gave updates on the impacts they have witnessed on the ground over the course of the dry spring and record-hot summer.
Ponds, rivers, dykes, and wetlands have dried to exceptionally low levels while in some upland sites, species-rich environments have dried out completely.
Breeding waders and specialist wetland invertebrates have struggled significantly, and fish deaths have occurred where oxygen levels have dropped. It has been a mixed picture for butterfly numbers – with large heath butterflies suffering substantial declines but clouded yellow butterflies thriving in the warmer conditions.
Wildfires was also a feature of the meeting, particularly the events at Natural England’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest at Holme Fen, Tintwistle, Dovestones, and Dunwich Heath. Dried peat can burn for months, releasing stored carbon and proving extremely difficult to extinguish once fire penetrates deep into the ground.
Natural England has been part of long-term peatland restoration work in the Peak District and South Pennines alongside its work with partners to reintroduce beavers across various parts of England which can help reduce flood and wildfire risk by holding more water in the landscape.
Oliver Harmar, Chief Strategy Officer at Natural England, said:
“If drought and wildfire risk are here to stay, then we must use nature-based solutions to adapt our landscapes to cope.
“If drought and wildfire risk are here to stay, then we must use nature-based solutions to adapt our landscapes to cope.
“Restoring the natural hydrology of our landscapes, particularly our wetlands and peatlands, helps them hold onto water for longer, recover more quickly from drought, and reduce the risk of fire taking hold in dried-out ground. It also has real benefits for the water that ends up in our taps and rivers, and for the wildlife that depends on these habitats to survive.
“Natural England is developing a research and monitoring programme specifically focused on the impacts of drought and wildfire, because many of the most serious consequences may not become fully apparent until future growing seasons.”
The National Drought Group, which includes the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, farmers, Canal & River Trust, anglers, and conservation experts, is now meeting weekly to monitor the situation and coordinate action as part of the heightened incident response.
The group provides the most comprehensive snapshot of the state of English water supplies, along with commentary on affected sectors and the actions being taken by government and relevant authorities to respond.
Government actions include:
- A £65 million package to help farmers impacted by drought, including funding up to £15 million to build on-farm reservoirs, helping farmers to better store more water when it rains.
- £100 million to strengthen the country's capacity to respond to extreme weather and wildfires.
- Continued water company work on resilience, including nine new reservoirs by 2050 as well as desalination plants and multiple water transfers to help secure future supplies.
- Changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Act to enable to non-water sector companies to build reservoirs that are automatically considered as nationally significant infrastructure projects, which will speed up the approvals for new reservoirs.
- Continued work on mandatory water efficiency labelling and will respond soon to a consultation on improving water efficiency in new homes.
- Continued work on nature-based solutions, such as restoring peatlands, creating more wetlands and planting more trees, to prevent flooding and hold more water in drought.
- Continued cross-government work on resilience to extreme weather, such as droughts, flooding and wildfires.
A wet winter helped provide a buffer for water resources during a dry spring, which saw just over half (56%) of typical rainfall across England.
But the driest July and joint-hottest August on record (including five summer heatwaves) resulted in an enormous strain on supplies, with demand for water increasing by as much as 30% on the hottest days.
The summer saw 64% of expected summer rainfall, resulting in a very difficult harvest for farmers and impacts on fish stocks, bird populations, and wider ecosystems.
Last week’s National Drought Group meeting saw a focus on public water company supply, with warnings from the Environment Agency that we need 120% of average rainfall over the coming seven months for the entire country to be out of drought by next spring.
El Niño is set to be put the UK at greater risk of a wet, stormy autumn.
The current water situation is:
- September has seen 56% of its average monthly rainfall to date in England.
- There has been a decrease in river flows, although the majority of sites are classed as normal for this time of the year.
- Groundwater storage and reservoir levels continue their expected seasonal decline. England reservoir storage is 56.1% - 19.7% below average for the time of year. The majority of reservoirs are now classed as notably or exceptionally low, with 13 reservoir or reservoir groups less than half full.
- Ten water companies in England have imposed restrictions, impacting 30 million customers. They are: Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Bristol Water, Cambridge Water, Essex & Suffolk Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, South West Water and Wessex Water.
- Southern Water has applied for two Drought Orders. The first is to maintain normal abstraction rates from the River Test even during low flows and the second is for a non-essential use ban. These are both under consideration by Defra.
- The Environment Agency has applied to Defra for a Drought Order to protect the health of the River Severn. Natural Resources Wales has also applied to the Welsh Government for a related Drought Order. The requests include reducing the release from the Clywedog reservoir to slow down the rate its reserves are being used and an initial 5% reduction on abstractions from the River Severn by Severn Trent Water, South Staffordshire Water, Bristol Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy. These are under consideration.
- South East Water has applied to the Environment Agency for a Drought Permit to reduce releases from Ardingly reservoir into the River Ouse to protect public water supplies. This is under consideration.
- Water companies continue to follow their drought plans and, subject to rainfall, the EA expects to receive further applications for Drought Permits in the near future.
- National Drought Group members are proud supporters of the Let’s Save Water campaign.