Drought is causing significant environmental impacts, with Atlantic salmon, hedgehogs and garden birds struggling
The National Drought Group has warned today (Monday 15 September) that the current drought is far from over despite the recent rain.
Even with the wet weather at the end of the month, August's rainfall was just 42% of its long-term average and the summer has been declared the hottest since records began in 1884.
Five areas remain in drought, with more areas likely to declare drought status within the next few weeks, as groundwater and reservoir levels across England continue to recede.
A lack of rainfall has impacted harvests, navigation, and seen restrictions in the form of several hosepipe bans.
It also has a significant impact on the breeding pattern of some animals, as well as peatlands drying out and at least 3,000 hectares of SSSI land (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) destroyed by wildfire.
Today's meeting of the NDG heard some key impacts:
Approximately 20% of the Canal & River Trust network is closed because of low water levels, concentrated mainly but not exclusively across northern and central England. This compares with 15% in 2022. Around 400 miles of the network is affected.
Some reservoirs that feed several canals run by the Canal & River Trust, including sections of the Grand Union, Leeds & Liverpool, Peak Forest, Oxford and Macclesfield are critically low. Peak Forest & Macclesfield group holdings are just 11.1% full.
The dry weather has seen an early harvest season with generally lower and poorer quality crop yields.
Reservoirs fell by 1.4% last week. They are now 56.1% full on average across England. The average for this time of year is 82.8%.
The lowest reservoirs are the Pennines group (29%), Yorkshire stocks (30.3%) and Ardingly (34.1%)
Latest dry weather information here: Dry weather and drought in England: summary reports - GOV.UK
A drought is only over when groundwater, river and reservoir levels are fully replenished, and experts have warned it will take a wet autumn and winter to reverse the impacts of seven continuous months of below average rainfall. This means flooding during a drought is possible, including flash floods as dry soils struggle to soak up intense downpours.
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:
While we have seen some recent rain, it is nowhere near enough to reverse the impact of the last seven months, which have been the driest since 1976.
The environment bears the brunt of this lack of rainfall, and this summer we have seen widespread impacts from low river levels, fish needing to be rescued, and wildfires.
We are calling on everyone to continue to take simple steps to reduce their water use and are grateful to people for following the restrictions imposed by water companies. By saving water, we all leave more water in the environment.
Water is finite and there are competing demands between public use, businesses, agriculture, and the environment. During drought, water still needs to be abstracted from rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater but summer rainfall typically doesn't replenish these sources.
The NDG - which includes the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, the National Farmers' Union, Canal & River Trust, anglers, and conservation experts - praised the public for helping to reduce their own water use. Lowering water use means less needs to be taken from local rivers and lakes therefore protects the health of our waterways and wildlife.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Will Lang, said:
The top five warmest UK summers on record have all occurred since 2000, with summer 2025 now officially the hottest.
High pressure dominated throughout the season, bringing persistent warmth, below-average rainfall, and drought conditions for many areas.
Looking ahead, while the longer-range forecast suggests a trend towards wetter-than-average conditions, rainfall is expected to vary significantly across regions, with more rain expected to western and northern parts of the UK, while eastern and southern areas may remain drier.
Importantly, even with the overall signal for wetter weather, and the chance for flooding in some places, this does not guarantee that current drought conditions will ease consistently across the country.
Drought conditions and the potential for flooding can occur at the same time in different parts of the UK, such is the nature of our climate.
The current water shortfall situation in England has been defined as a 'nationally significant incident' based on the number of areas affected and the impacts being seen in the environment.
Natural England addressed today's group, noting:
Eighty-three SSSI sites have reported fires so far, including Dartmoor and the North Yorkshire Moors that saw more than 500 hectares burnt.
Lower water levels, and a lack of rainfall to top up spawning pools, are significantly impacting the breeding success of species such as natterjack toads and Atlantic salmon.
As well as dehydration, garden animals - including hedgehogs and birds - are struggling with a lack of insects to eat because of the dry soils.
Wetland birds, such as shoveler duck and curlew, are facing decline because of a loss of wetland and open water habitat in drought.
Dr Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:
Drought conditions are having a catastrophic effect on our flora and fauna, which lasts long after rain returns.
Some Atlantic salmon streams have dried up and there are declining populations of wetland birds and amphibians. Garden animals such as hedgehogs are dying because their insect-based food sources disappear during drought.
Many farmers have really suffered this year because of drought, following a year when they were hit by extremely wet weather. As the impacts of climate change ramp up we will experience more of these kinds of extremes.
We need to take action now to make our landscapes more resilient, including through the creation of more wetlands to help cope with the effects of both drought and flood.
The Environment Agency continues to work with Government, including Defra and the Cabinet Office, on the drought response.
It is also conducting more compliance checks on businesses who abstract water from the environment, has increased monitoring of water levels, and continues to work with farmers on water conservation.
The regulator is actively engaging with water companies on requests for drought permits and drought orders - meaning water is diverted from the environment to secure public supplies.
The EA expects all water companies to follow their statutory drought plans, which can include Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) aka hosepipe bans. Yorkshire Water has a Temporary Use Ban (TUB aka hosepipe ban) in place for all its customers. Thames, South East Water, and Southern Water have postcode-specific bans.
eNGO Waterwise used the meeting to reveal new joint research into public attitudes towards hosepipe bans - noting more than two-thirds of the public (70%) are in favour when it's hot, dry, and sunny, with just 11 percent against.
The meeting also heard updates from the water companies and steps they are taking to conserve supplies.
Water Minister Emma Hardy said:
This year's weather has been severe for our environment, and we are working with the National Drought Group to mitigate the impacts of this.
Water companies must continue to follow their drought plans to secure water supplies - I will hold them to account if they don't.
We face a growing water shortage in the next decade and are pushing ahead with urgent reforms under our Plan for Change, including nine new reservoirs to help secure supplies.
NDG PARTNER QUOTES:
Mark Owen, Head of Fisheries at the Angling Trust, said:
Since we started feeling the impacts of drought at the beginning of March, we have seen a range of impacts on fish in rivers and still waters.
Elevated temperatures and reduced oxygen have caused fish kills in still waters, while low flows on rivers have impacted migratory fish - such as salmon and sea trout - because they have not been able to move into their spawning areas. This has made them vulnerable both from predation and the impacts of low dissolved oxygen.
Whilst it's too early to say, we are concerned that this will have an adverse impact on reproduction this year and, given the endangered status of salmon, this is a concern for further fish stocks.
There have been wider impacts on wildlife with the increase in wildfires impacting on habitats, decrease in capacity to store water and degradation of soils particularly in upland areas. Dried out wetlands have adversely impacted on wading birds during the nesting season.
Dr Mark Roberts, Water Management Specialist at the National Trust, said:
This year's drought has left a clear mark on nature. Dried-up springs in the Lake District have impacted water supplies and depleted water bodies have caused the death of fish.
Both our newly planted and ancient trees have struggled since early spring, with usually lush flower borders in our gardens showing real signs of stress, hampering their ability to provide food and shelter for a variety of insects including bees and amphibians such as frogs.
Using our new internal app to monitor the impact of weather on National Trust places, we've already recorded over 40 environmental impacts since May. This is helping to give us vital data to understand where and how nature is struggling so we can begin to act earlier in the drought cycle to protect wildlife and habitats.
However, with long periods of low rainfall likely to become the new 'norm', we desperately need more tools such as early warning systems that enable the wider public to help protect nature by making informed decisions about saving water at home.
Nicci Russell, CEO of Waterwise, said:
We surveyed more than 2,000 people across the UK at the end of August and found more than two-thirds of the public agree that during hot dry and sunny conditions it's right to ask people not to use a hosepipe. Just 11 percent disagreed, showing that most people are supportive of restrictions when necessary.
The majority of people (70 percent) are taking action to save water and there is a growing recognition that, without action, we could run out.
Nothing happens without water, and we all have a part to play to help beat the current drought.
Notes:
HOW TO SAVE WATER AT HOME:
Install a rain butt to collect rainwater to use in the garden.
When it's dry and hot, use water from the kitchen to water your plants.
Avoid watering your lawn - brown grass will grow back healthy.
Turn off the taps when brushing teeth or shaving.
Take shorter showers.
Fix a leaking toilet - leaky loos can waste 200-400 litres a day.
WATER COMPANY ACTIONS:
Over £700 million has been committed by water companies to tackle leaks over the next five years. They have committed to reducing leakage by 50% from a 2017-18 baseline by 2050.
Southern Water fixed 679 leaks in one month across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, saving 6.4million litres of water per day.
Southern Water has also completed 75 business water efficiency audits, saving 157,000 litres of water per day.
Affinity Water offers eligible customers free repairs by a plumber for household leaks like dropping taps and faulty toilet valves.
Affinity Water has partnered with Lightsonic and Openreach to pilot fibre optic sensing technology that detects water leaks in real time.
Northumbria Water is using satellites in outer space to spot subtle changes in soil which could indicate underground pipe leaks.
Northumbria Water has increased the number of leaking pipes by 45% compared to this time last year.
Essex & Suffolk Water have increased the number of leaks repaired by 30% compared to this time last year.
South East Water has fixed 2,379 leaks in the last month - up 27.2% on this time last year.
South East Water is offering a 1:1 service for its highest water users seeing how they can reduce their usage.
United Utilities has partnered with Bolton Wanderers FC to jointly promote water saving measures to ticket holders during the upcoming local derby this month. The club undertook its own water audit and is now saving around 5,000 litres a day.
South West Water's teams, including detection dogs, are helping to tackle leaks and save over 10 million litres a day.
South West Water fixed 10,211 leaks between May and August - an annual increase of 16.8%.
Pennon Group (South West Water, Bournemouth Water, Bristol Water and SES Water) is working with high water use businesses and households to reduce water wastage by around 4.5 million litres a day over the next five years.
Severn Trent has given away 6,000 free water-saving products, including showerheads and timers, to the public.
Severn Trent is also rolling out a new £415m programme of investment to replace some 870 miles of old pipes by 2030.
Portsmouth Water have repaired 849 leaks in July and August, a 22% increase on last year.
Portsmouth Water has partnered with a local radio station to give away over 300 water butts free of charge.
Yorkshire Water's hosepipe restrictions have reduced demand by 10%.
Since the hosepipe restrictions, Yorkshire Water has repaired almost 4,000 leaks, equivalent to one repair every 23 minutes.
Anglian Water has identified over 500,000 customer leaks through smart meters, with 84% resolved.
Anglian Water is using sensors and satellite technology to identify leaks. This has saved over 320,000 litres a day of water over the last year, enough to supply 1,000 homes a day.
