Almost Three-Quarters Of England Now In Drought, UK Government Says
Rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater levels continue to decline while dry conditions continued risk of wildfires, the U.K government said.
London: Almost three-quarters of England is now in drought, the British government said on Monday, highlighting the worsening impact of prolonged dry weather on agriculture, public water supplies and wildlife.
Most of the country, 71.3%, is now experiencing a flash drought caused by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures. That has risen since late July, when almost half the country was declared to be in drought.
The latest update put 45 million people in a drought area and 27 million living under restrictions on water use.
Britain is in the grip of its fifth heatwave this year and England and Wales have provisionally recorded their driest July in 190 years. Southeast England received just 1% of its expected average rainfall.
"We know how challenging this summer has been ... We are stepping up our support including working to make it easier for farmers to build more on-site irrigation reservoirs," Water Minister Emma Hardy said in the statement.
Rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater levels continue to decline while the continued hot and dry conditions are increasing the risk of wildfires, the government said.
An estimated 2,877 people in Britain have died from heat-related causes this year, UK health authorities said last month.
The heat is also impacting breeding birds, amphibians, and freshwater fish stocks, the government added.
It follows what is set to be the driest July on record, with just seven percent of expected rainfall nationwide and some parts of southern England seeing just one percent, according to the government's Environment Agency.
The UK is also currently experiencing its fourth widespread heatwave of 2026.
Describing it as a "flash drought" -- which develops quickly and is caused by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures -- it was the second consecutive summer parts of England were experiencing drought.
"Rivers are running low, farmers are having to harvest crops early, wildfire risk is increasing, and millions of people are living under restrictions on water use," the agency said as it made the announcement.
The seven areas declared in drought -- which include London, East Anglia to its northeast, all of southwest England and the West Midlands -- comprises 51.4 percent of the nation.
Representatives from the National Drought Group -- which includes meteorological and government officials and ministers, regulators, water companies, farmers and others -- convened Tuesday to discuss the situation, the Environment Agency noted.
They reviewed impacts, preparedness plans and drought response actions across England, with the nation's private water companies being told to prioritise fixing leaks, it added.
"The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it," Helen Wakeham, its director of water and chair of the group, said in a statement.
"A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife, and the economy."
Separately Wednesday, the Met Office, the nation's meteorological agency, announced it had finalised readings in June and that both England and the UK saw a daily temperature record for the month of 38C.
That was higher than the 37.7C figure previously reported.
