45M in Drought Chaos
Reservoirs plunge to 69% as England's driest July on record sparks emergency orders for 27M people.
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Yvette Cooper tells NHS England to start planning for regular heatwaves.
Story published. Reservoirs plunge to 69% as England's driest July on record sparks emergency orders for 27M people.
Nearly three-quarters of England and the entirety of Wales have been plunged into official drought conditions following the driest July on record, leaving 45 million people living in drought-affected areas and more than 27 million facing water restrictions.
According to official data from the UK government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), 71.3% of England is now in drought. England recorded just 10% of its usual long-term average rainfall in July, triggering a fast-moving flash drought exacerbated by a fifth summer heatwave across Europe.
Plunging Reservoirs and Expanding Restrictions
The prolonged dry spell has strained the country's water infrastructure. Reservoir levels across England have dropped to 69%, which is 11.6% lower than normal expectations for this time of year, while 22% of rivers are classed as exceptionally low.
Four additional English regions were formally moved into drought status in August 2026: the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs. They join seven regions already designated as in drought, including London, East Anglia, Thames Valley, Devon and Cornwall, and the West Midlands. Meanwhile, Yorkshire and the North East have entered prolonged dry weather status, leaving no part of England under normal conditions.
Over 27 million residents are currently subject to water-use restrictions, including hosepipe bans and agricultural irrigation limits. Farmers have also reported their earliest harvests in two decades, alongside reduced crop yields.
Water Suppliers Seek Emergency Orders
Water utilities are facing severe pressure to maintain network stability. Southern Water has submitted applications for two emergency drought orders. The measures include a ban on non-essential commercial water use across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, alongside special permission to continue water abstraction from the River Test during low flow levels.
South East Water has similarly warned its customers that regional supplies are critically low, cautioning that running water could be lost entirely unless consumer demand drops significantly.
On average, individuals across England and Wales consume 139 litres of water per day, with England extracting roughly 47 billion kilolitres of water from the natural environment in 2023.
Health and Wildfire Alerts
The drought has coincided with severe heat conditions. The UK Health Security Agency issued amber heat-health alerts across five regions—including London, the East Midlands, and the South East—warning of increased health risks for vulnerable groups and wider operational strain across the health service.
Emergency services have also faced environmental emergencies linked to the dry conditions, including tackling a damaging heathland fire in Hampshire's New Forest National Park.
