National Drought Group meets after driest spring in 132 years
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-05)

Expert group told England has now experienced driest March, April and May since 1893.

The Environment Agency convened a National Drought Group meeting today (5 June 2025) to discuss the latest outlook and hear from water companies about steps they are taking to prepare for the summer.

England has only seen 57% of the long-term average May rainfall and spring is the driest since the reign of Queen Victoria. However, the recent rain at the end of May and the start of June is helping to stabilise the position.

The expert group will now meet monthly following a drought declaration in the north-west. Four other areas - the north-east, Yorkshire, east and west midlands – are also experiencing prolonged dry weather.

The EA told the group it has stepped up its operational response. This includes more compliance checks on businesses who abstract water, such as manufacturers, and increased monitoring of river and groundwater levels.

The regulator is also working with all members of the National Drought Group, including the National Farmers Union, to help farmers plan their water needs over the summer.

Meanwhile, water companies updated the group on how they are implementing their drought plans, including increased communication with customers, and speeding up the fixing of leaks.

United Utilities in the north-west has increased the rate of finding and fixing leaks by 70% in recent weeks after a strong response from the community in spotting leaks during the dry weather.

Youlgrave Waterworks, a private firm which supplies 500 homes in Derbyshire, became the first company to introduce a hosepipe ban at the start of June. The major water companies report they have no current plans for hosepipe bans but are keeping this under review.

Helen Wakeham, EA Director of Water and National Drought Group chair, said:

It’s been the driest spring since 1893, and we need to be prepared for more summer droughts as our climate changes.

The recent rainfall is having a positive effect, but it hasn’t been enough to stop a drought in the north-west and we must ensure we have enough water to last the entire summer.

We are working with water companies, farmers and other abstractors to help them plan their water usage over the summer and urge people to be mindful about their daily use.

The National Drought Group heard that without further substantial rain, some water companies may need to implement further drought measures this summer to conserve supplies.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

We face a water shortage in the next decade. That’s why the government is taking urgent steps to secure supplies into the future, as part of our Plan for Change.

As an immediate step, we have convened the National Drought Group to make sure water companies are acting to conserve this precious resource and act in line with their drought plans.

The Government has secured over £104 billion of private sector investment to fund essential infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-build-first-major-reservoirs-in-30-years), and to cut leakage by 17% over the next five years.

Dr Will Lang, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office said:

After the driest Spring for more than a century across England, the start of June has brought some much-needed rainfall with a mix of Atlantic weather systems interspersed with drier and sunnier periods expected to continue over the coming days.

Most areas will experience showers at times with some seeing longer spells of rain. From mid-June onwards, the forecast becomes less clear with signs of drier conditions becoming more dominant across southern England.

Looking further ahead, the chance of a hot summer is higher than normal with an associated increased risk of heatwaves and related impacts. After the more unsettled and wetter start to June, the likelihoods of a wetter or drier than average summer remain evenly balanced.

Periods of dry weather and low rivers can have several consequences for the environment and wildlife. Low oxygen levels in water can lead to fish kills, as well as more algal blooms and lower river flows prevent wildlife from moving up or downstream.

The National Drought Group – which includes the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, farmers, and conservation experts - heard:

Reservoir levels are now at 77%.

Fish rescues have been carried out on the Rivers Redlake and Tern in Shropshire.

Navigation issues have been noted with the Canals and Rivers Trust having to implement restrictions on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and Lancaster Canal because of low water levels.

The quality of spring crops is becoming a concern because of the dry soil and poor grass growth for feed.

Applications for Local Resource Options (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Flocal-water-resources-options-apply-for-a-screening-study%2Fhow-to-apply-for-a-local-water-resources-options-screening-study&data=05%7C02%7CJane.Wharton%40defra.gov.uk%7C2959262658fe4ef8863a08dda3f72ee6%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638847004251701944%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=y3eTrth%2BfA3Uqe2aVYp0kOUle52NMCZ%2BTYaeFQq5L0k%3D&reserved=0) (LRO) screening studies are now open for groups of farmers to explore ways to improve water availability and reliability.

The Environment Agency is encouraging the public to report environmental incidents to their 24/7 hotline on xx-xxxx-xxxx. Meanwhile angling groups are also asking members to report signs of environmental impacts.

Notes to editors:

A decision to declare drought is taken based on reservoir levels, river flows and moisture in the soil along with consideration of the long-term weather forecasts.

More information on how drought is defined can be found here: Drought explained – Creating a better place (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvironmentagency.blog.gov.uk%2F2023%2F07%2F31%2Fdrought-explained%2F&data=05%7C02%7CJane.Wharton%40defra.gov.uk%7C2959262658fe4ef8863a08dda3f72ee6%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638847004251719579%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KkeTGPnRxYTwMYVJwqJMkp8uc3G4enQp%2BcTXtZiV29k%3D&reserved=0)