Drought declared across southern England

The Environment Agency declared severe drought on Thursday, 15 October, in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex, and residents were urged to use water wisely. Officials said the South East and South West had their driest April to September period in more than a century, which has drawn down reservoirs in both regions. Much of Wales remains in drought, with only areas in the south-west now classed as recovering. Around 30 million people in England still have restrictions on how they use water, and only the North East and North West are free of drought status.

Government response in the Commons

Water minister Emma Hardy gave an emergency statement to MPs on Friday, 16 October, describing the current conditions as something not experienced for decades. Water companies have been told to monitor reservoir and river levels daily and to tighten water quality checks. The Environment Agency will step up compliance checks on businesses that draw water, to confirm they take only permitted amounts, and it has been told to put protecting public supplies first where that means trading off environmental rules. This allows companies to keep more water in depleted reservoirs. Hardy defended the government's planning and told MPs there was little ministers could do about the weather.

“There are many things I can do, unfortunately, I can't make it rain.”

Criticism from the opposition and the water firm

Shadow environment minister Robbie Moore said the government had been slow to react and that this was the third drought in five years. He criticised Hardy for not mentioning the drought's effect on farmers and growers in her statement.

“It should not have caught the Government off guard.”

Devon County Council leader Julian Brazil said the drought had been decades in the making and that South West Water's neglect had put the region in this position. He said the company had not built the reservoirs Devon's people and businesses deserved. South West Water responded by asking customers and local businesses to cut use wherever possible until rivers and reservoirs recover.

Reservoir levels fall

Wimbleball on Exmoor is at 14.9% capacity, and it serves about 300,000 properties across east Devon, north Devon, Somerset, west Dorset and West Somerset. Stithians in Cornwall is at 21.9%, which led to it being declared too shallow for water sports, while Burrator is at 33.6%, Roadford at 36.8% and Colliford at 35%. In West Sussex, South East Water says Ardingly Reservoir has fallen below 20% capacity and is now 19.4% full, a store the company puts at 4,773 million litres, or about 1,880 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The Environment Agency expects storage to be about 75% at this time of year. South East Water updated its hosepipe restrictions in early October, and in September the agency granted it a drought permit to keep more water in the reservoir. Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said that reservoirs running dry is obviously a problem.

Richard Stanbrook, South West Water's drought programme director, said the declaration marked the critical phase the region is entering.

“While some recent rainfall has helped, water resources remain under significant pressure.”

Wimbleball14.9%

Ardingly19.4%

Stithians21.9%

Burrator33.6%

Colliford35%

Roadford36.8%

Wimbleball

14.9 %

Ardingly

19.4 %

Stithians

21.9 %

Burrator

33.6 %

Colliford

35 %

Roadford

36.8 %

Data from the article text

Public attitudes in a new ONS survey

An Office for National Statistics survey of 10,620 adults in Britain, carried out between 1 July and 27 September, found that 85% had been affected in at least one way by climate change over the past 12 months. That is up from 74% in autumn 2025 and 66% in autumn 2024. Heatwaves were the most frequently reported impact at 78%, followed by drought at 40% and wildfires at 26%. The share reporting heatwave effects was highest among 16 to 29 year-olds at 86%, and it fell with each older age group to 71% among people aged 70 and over. The survey also found 86% of adults had taken at least one action in the past month to use less water, most often not leaving a tap running (65%), waiting for a full washing machine or dishwasher (55%) or using less tap water, including hosepipes (44%).

Heatwaves78%

Drought40%

Wildfires26%

Floods18%

Increased health issues18%

Reduced access to safe and affordable food16%

Heatwaves

78 %

Drought

40 %

Wildfires

26 %

Floods

18 %

Increased health issues

18 %

Reduced access to safe and affordable food

16 %

Data from the article text