More than half of England is officially in drought following low rainfall and soaring temperatures up to 35C. The Environment Agency declared the measures across seven regions, bringing severe water supply strains, hosepipe bans for millions, and mounting wildfire risks.
Drought conditions now span more than half of England after extreme heat and severely depleted rainfall pushed water supplies to critical thresholds. The Environment Agency officially declared droughts across seven distinct English regions, driven by a combination of high temperatures and a prolonged dry spell that has left rivers running low and farmers scrambling to harvest crops early.
Seven Regions Under Official Drought Conditions
The declaration covers a massive swathe of central, eastern, and southern England. The affected areas span East Anglia, Hertfordshire, the whole of London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, and the West Midlands, alongside Wessex regions covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and South Gloucestershire.
Rainfall figures underscore the severity of the deficit. July recorded just 7% of expected rainfall levels across England as a whole, while southern England saw a stark 1% of expected precipitation. Helen Wakeham, director of water at the Environment Agency and chair of the National Drought Group, laid out the core imbalance behind the crisis.
“The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.”
Helen Wakeham, Director of Water at the Environment Agency and Chair of the National Drought Group
Wakeham added that experiencing a second consecutive summer drought creates an exceptionally serious situation with long-lasting economic and environmental impacts. This marks the third time in five years that England has faced official drought declarations, following similar crises in 2022 and 2025.
Operational Strain and Widening Water Restrictions
As water levels drop, regulatory bodies and utility providers have ramped up interventions. The Environment Agency has stepped up its operational response by enhancing monitoring and exerting strict control over how much water can be abstracted from rivers and groundwater sources. In the West Midlands, officials continue running the River Severn Regulation system to protect drinking water supplies for six million people, utilizing releases from Llyn Clywedog, Lake Vyrnwy, and the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme when flows at the Bewdley gauging station dip below prescribed minimums.
BREAKING: Half of England in drought, Environment Agency says
Environmental impacts are already visible on the ground. Agency staff have carried out fish rescue operations on Shropshire’s River Teme and River Onny where conditions have turned unsuitable for fish to survive. Members of the public who spot distressed fish are urged to report incidents via the Environment Agency’s incident hotline.
Consumer restrictions are expanding rapidly to preserve supplies. Thames Water instituted a hosepipe ban affecting more than 10 million customers across London, the Thames Valley, and surrounding Home Counties. Across the border, North Wales and the Upper Severn river basin entered drought conditions under Natural Resources Wales, while Scottish regulators monitored significant water scarcity in eastern Scotland.
Wildfire Risks and Fourth Summer Heatwave
The drought declaration coincides with the summer’s fourth heatwave, with amber heat alerts in place across the East Midlands, East, South East, and London as temperatures peak near 35C. The combination of intense heat and bone-dry vegetation has drastically elevated the danger of fast-spreading fires.
Photo: lbc.co.uk
Fire and rescue services across England and Wales responded to 706 wildfires through late July 2026, including 208 separate incidents logged during a tight 12-day window between July 16 and July 28. Phil Garrigan, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, highlighted the sharp escalation in risk.
“More than 200 wildfires in just 12 days shows how quickly the risk can escalate when hot, dry conditions take hold.”
Photo: bbc.co.uk
Phil Garrigan, chairman of the NFCC
Garrigan noted that while the UK is not currently seeing fires of that scale, science suggests that larger, more frequent and more complex wildfires should be expected in the future.
Met Office warnings indicate that any fires starting in London, the South East, and eastern England carry the potential to be exceptionally severe. While UK blazes typically remain smaller than those seen in southern Europe, the sheer frequency of recent outbreaks underscores a shifting climate baseline that water managers, farmers, and emergency services must navigate as the dry spell continues.
