Officials declared drought conditions in additional parts of England after the National Drought Group met on Monday, 10 August 2026, extending a status that already covered roughly half the country and all of Wales. The Environment Agency confirmed that seven areas are now in official drought, and the group said seven water companies have imposed Temporary Use Bans affecting around 23 million customers, roughly 40% of England's population, according to a government announcement.
Southern England is almost entirely under official drought status following an unusually hot and dry summer, and forecasters expect a renewed spell of heatwave conditions across much of the country this week, with the UK bracing for its fifth heatwave of the season. According to a BBC News report, the Environment Agency has confirmed drought across more than half of England, describing the rapid onset as a "flash drought" driven by very low rainfall and higher temperatures across central, eastern and southern parts of the country, a characterisation echoed in the government's own announcement.
Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said the number of people living under hosepipe restrictions is likely to grow beyond the 23 million already affected. Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, she described the season's weather as remarkable.
"exceptional, unprecedented summer"
Bentley added that this pattern was becoming the "new norm", and predicted that north-west England — currently classified under the milder "prolonged dry weather" designation — would likely be upgraded to full drought status when officials met on Monday.
Regions already formally in drought include East Anglia, Hertfordshire, London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Devon, Cornwall, the West Midlands and Wessex, which covers Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire. A news wire report lists the same seven areas as being officially in drought. There is no single agreed definition of drought, though it generally describes an extended period of unusually dry weather with knock-on effects for people, wildlife and the wider environment.
How dry has it actually been?
July was the driest month on record for England and Wales since record-keeping began in 1836, and the driest month ever measured across southern England specifically. River levels have kept falling after seven consecutive weeks in which parts of England received under 10mm of rainfall, and government figures show that east and south-east England saw less than 1mm of rain in the week leading up to 6 August 2026, according to a government drought summary report. The same report notes that north-west England fared slightly better, recording around 13mm of rain over the same period, and that all parts of England received less than 10% of the monthly long-term average rainfall for August so far, with the national figure standing at just 4%.
The same report notes that England's reservoir storage stood at 69% for the week ending 4 August 2026, a drop of 3% from the previous week and 11.6% below the long-term average for this time of year. The Environment Agency has also flagged navigation difficulties for boats on the Thames, Lark and Ouse rivers because of falling water levels, and separately reported that almost all reservoirs across England are running below normal, with five now rated as "exceptionally low". Groundwater levels this month are expected to be normal to below normal in the chalk and Jurassic limestone aquifers of England, and notably low in the carboniferous limestone aquifers of south Wales.
This is not the first drought warning of the summer. Our earlier coverage detailed how half of England was officially placed in exceptional drought on 29 July 2026, when seven regions were affected after July recorded just 7% of expected rainfall nationally and only 1% across southern England, a milestone also covered in our report on seven areas of England entering drought. Before that, our coverage tracked how the UK's driest areas missed out on rain ahead of a fresh heatwave on 26 July 2026, and how rain returned briefly over one weekend even as parts of Wales entered drought on 23 July 2026, though officials warned at the time it would not be enough to reverse the trend.
Has this happened before?
According to the national broadcaster's report cited above and confirmed by the government's own announcement, this marks the third time England has faced drought conditions in five years, following earlier droughts in 2022 and 2025. After the 2022 drought, scientists at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said it would take "exceptional" rainfall sustained over one to three months to restore river, reservoir and groundwater levels to normal — a benchmark that underscores how difficult recovery can be even after conditions ease. The same research body has said this year's lack of rainfall is unparalleled, with river flows declining rapidly across the UK during July and only catchments in the far north of Scotland remaining above normal levels.
What is the impact on farming?
The National Farmers Union has warned that the prolonged dry spell could contribute to food shortages if conditions persist. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said wheat and oat yields have been poor this year.
"very, very poor"
Bradshaw also said livestock farmers have already had to dip into winter feed reserves because pasture growth has been too weak to sustain grazing animals through the summer months.
How are heatwaves and public health being affected?
The dry conditions are unfolding alongside the UK's fifth heatwave of the summer, with a Met Office meteorologist saying Thursday looked set to be the hottest day of the week and that there was a small chance temperatures could exceed 36C in some places. The UK Health Security Agency has updated heat health alerts for nine regions in England, warning that rising temperatures this week may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups. Amber alerts are in place for Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, the east of England, the south-east, London, the south-west and the north-west from 9am on Tuesday to 9pm on Friday, while the north-east is under a yellow alert for the same period. Amber alerts indicate an increased likelihood of health impacts for people aged 65 and older and those with pre-existing conditions, though younger people may also be affected. The UK Health Security Agency has said England is on track to record its highest ever number of heat-related deaths this summer, after estimating that 2,877 people died during the May and June heatwaves.
What are the political reactions?
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has accused the government of "gross negligence" over its handling of the heatwaves, describing this summer's heat as the "greatest crisis this country has faced since the second world war". Downing Street defended the government's response. The prime minister's official spokesperson said:
"Our climate is changing. Droughts are becoming more common, which is why we're focused on both the immediate response and long-term resilience."
How are water companies and businesses responding?
South East Water said last week that supplies in its area were "critically low" and warned customers they may lose supply unless demand for water in the area dropped. Chessington World of Adventures theme park in Surrey was forced to close on Monday due to a water outage affecting the area, and said it was working closely with Thames Water and local partners to support a "safe and timely resolution". River Action's head of campaigns, Amy Fairman, has called for an urgent review of abstraction licences, which permit water to be extracted from the environment, to understand "what is essential". The organisation's analysis found there are 14,128 commercial abstraction licences across England and Wales, separate from those held by public water companies for drinking supply. While privately owned water companies in England and Wales abstract more than 6tn litres annually for public supply, commercial abstraction licences permit a further 43tn litres each year across thousands of operators.
What areas remain on watch?
Beyond the regions already in drought, the Environment Agency's current bulletin lists Cumbria and Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, the East Midlands, and Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire as areas currently classified under the lesser "prolonged dry weather" status, according to the government's drought summary. These are among the areas that were being watched closely ahead of Monday's review.
What happens next?
The National Drought Group, whose members include government representatives, water companies, the National Farmers' Union, the Met Office and conservation experts, met on Monday afternoon, 10 August 2026, to assess conditions across England and determine whether further regions should be moved into drought status. The government's drought summary had previously stated that no changes to area status occurred in the prior week, but that several areas were expected to see status changes during the week commencing 10 August 2026, a timeline also referenced in a national newspaper's report. Forecasters expect the coming week to remain largely dry, with temperatures rising across much of England and Wales, peaking on Thursday before easing slightly over the weekend, and no significant rainfall currently expected for either country in the foreseeable future. The Environment Agency has previously said reservoir levels, though below average, "should be enough for the coming months until the next period of sustained rainfall."
Key Facts
- Seven areas of England are now officially in drought, with more regions added following Monday's National Drought Group meeting on 10 August 2026.
- July 2026 was the driest month on record for England and Wales, and the driest ever for southern England specifically.
- England's reservoir storage was 69% as of 4 August 2026, down 3% week-on-week and 11.6% below the long-term average.
- Around 23 million people, roughly 40% of England's population, are under hosepipe or Temporary Use Bans imposed by seven water companies.
- Amber heat health alerts are in place across eight English regions this week amid the UK's fifth heatwave of the summer, with the UK Health Security Agency estimating 2,877 heat-related deaths in May and June.
