Why More of England Is Running Out of Water
On August 10, 2026, a government group called the National Drought Group is expected to meet and officially declare that even more areas of England are in drought. A drought happens when there is not enough rain over a long period, causing water supplies to run low. This crisis already covers all of Wales and more than half of England The Guardian.
The UK is also heading into what could be its fifth heatwave of the year. Forecasters say temperatures could reach 36C (97F) or higher during the week starting August 10, with a small drop on Monday before rising again on Tuesday The Guardian.
The problem has been building for months. England had its driest spring in 132 years, going all the way back to 1893, according to the National Drought Group in June 2025. The NDG, which brings together weather experts, government officials, water companies, farmers, and environmental groups, warned that England needed heavy rain in the autumn to avoid a lasting drought GOV.UK. That rain never came.
By late July 2026, the Environment Agency officially declared drought across seven areas of England, covering a large part of central, eastern, and southern England. The July 29 declaration came with an escalated response to the ongoing dry weather GOV.UK; Water Magazine. Between the start of 2026 and August 6, a total of 134 incidents caused by drought and dry weather had been recorded in England GOV.UK.
Millions of people are now under hosepipe bans, which means they are not allowed to use hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, or fill pools. Water supplies, especially in the south and south-east of England, have become very low The Guardian. The NDG reviews the effects of drought and makes plans to manage it. It looks at wildfire risk, rivers running dangerously low, and threats to food production The Guardian.
The heat and ongoing drought are being made worse by the climate crisis, according to The Guardian's reporting. This puts pressure on vulnerable people, key infrastructure, and wildlife. The UK had already experienced three heatwaves in 2026 by the time the NDG increased its response after the third one GOV.UK. With a possible fifth heatwave now arriving, the strain on water systems and natural environments is severe.
The broader context here is that this looks less like a one-time event and more like a pattern. The driest spring in over a century, followed by repeated heatwaves and not enough autumn rain, has created a situation where water has been used up faster than nature can replace it. Hosepipe bans and emergency measures can help manage the problem, but they cannot fix it. The NDG warned in October 2025 that heavy autumn rain was needed to avoid a long drought, and they were right. The August 10 meeting is expected to make the spread of the crisis official. The deeper question facing the government and water companies is whether England's water systems, the rules about how much water can be taken from rivers and underground sources, and their long-term planning are built for a climate where extreme dryness and repeated heatwaves happen again and again, not just once a century.
For farming, the impact goes beyond this year's crops. The National Farmers' Union sits on the NDG because when irrigation water is cut off and soil stays too dry, food production is directly threatened. For regulators, the challenge is deciding when to impose water restrictions early enough to protect rivers that are already running dangerously low, without causing too much economic damage. And for water companies, the test is whether their drought plans, written under older assumptions about how weather behaves, can stand up to conditions in 2026 that have pushed past every expectation.
