Droughts, which are defined simply as a lack of water, are becoming more common in England and across the rest of the world.

As of July 2026, drought has been declared across half of England, with seven areas officially in drought following record low rainfall and extremely high temperatures. As the climate warms, droughts are likely to become more frequent in the UK. They can disrupt water supply, as well as affect agriculture, ecosystems and infrastructure.

What are droughts?

Droughts are natural events which generally occur when a period of low rainfall creates a shortage of water.

The Met Office explains that there are different types of drought, including:

  • meteorological (where rainfall is below average)
  • agricultural (where low rainfall and dry soil affect crops)
  • ecological (where effects are also felt by the local environment)
  • hydrological (where water supplies such as rivers and reservoirs are low, driven by low rainfall, lack of snowmelt or other reasons)

Droughts can be confined to a specific local area or be more widespread.

Droughts also vary in length. For example, a period of very hot weather can result in a short-term drought, while months of low rainfall can result in a more prolonged period of drought.

In England, there is no minimum length of time before a drought can be declared.

Ongoing droughts in England

The Environment Agency has assessed that, as of 31 July 2026, seven of its ‘operational areas’ in England are experiencing drought, and a further six are experiencing a period of ‘prolonged dry weather’. Seven water companies have temporary hosepipe bans in place.

The UK has experienced an exceptionally dry summer, with England receiving just 7% of the long-term average rainfall in July, making it provisionally the driest July on record. This has contributed to a decrease in the volume of water stored in reservoirs in England, with several now classified as exceptionally low for the time of year. Continued warm temperatures and heatwaves have driven high water demand, further increasing pressure on water resources.

What are the effects of a drought?

The effects of drought are widespread and varied. Where water is scarce, restrictions on water use have effects on consumers and businesses, including those in the agricultural sector.

Households

Restrictions can mean that individual water use is limited, and that households may be temporarily banned from, for example, washing cars, using hosepipes to water their gardens or filling swimming pools.

Agriculture

Restrictions on water use can also affect agricultural productivity. For example, drought conditions can stress crops such as peas, while reduced crop watering can risk harvests of root vegetables, which require irrigation when the surrounding soil is dry. Poor grass growth can also reduce the supply of livestock feed, and dry weather can increase the risk of fires in fields during harvest.

Navigation

Reduced water flow may also affect the navigability of rivers and canals. This sometimes forces the Canal and River Trust to close parts of its network.

Ecosystems

Droughts also affect local environments and ecology. For example, England has experienced an increase in the number of algal bloom incidents attributed to hot weather, while deteriorated river habitats can lead to an increase in mortality among fish species such as salmon and trout.

How are droughts managed?

The main responsibility for managing droughts in England falls to the environmental regulator, the Environment Agency. Water companies are also responsible for managing supply and demand within their regions.

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency monitors different indicators (including rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir storage, ecological indicators and the state of public water supplies) to assess whether an area is experiencing a drought. The severity of a drought ranges from ‘prolonged dry weather’ to ‘drought’, ‘severe drought’ and then ‘recovering from drought’.

The Environment Agency produces summary reports of droughts and advises the government. Depending on the severity of a drought, the Environment Agency may also have a statutory duty to limit the abstraction (removal) of water from the environment by water companies or other water users through a ‘drought order’ or introducing specific bans on irrigation of agricultural crops.

In June 2026, the Environment Agency convened its National Drought Group to discuss the dry spring and recent heatwave. It found that the dry weather put England at risk of a ‘flash drought’, with reducing river flows, low rainfall and increased water use during hot weather. In July 2026, following the third heatwave of the summer, the government said that the National Drought Group would ‘step up its response’, with members focusing on increasing response to incidents, additional monitoring, and more cross-sector and public communications on drought.

Water companies

Water companies are responsible for managing water supplies within their regions. There are a number of tools that they may use to do this during a drought, but the most common response to short-term scarcity is to introduce hosepipe bans for household customers.

Hosepipe bans restrict the use of hosepipes, for example to water residential gardens or wash cars. These are also known as ‘temporary use bans’, and water companies can bring them in to save water if they are struggling to keep up with demand. BBC Weather has produced a lookup tool to find out whether a hosepipe ban applies to a particular postcode area.

In the longer term, water companies may take actions to increase the availability of water supplies, such as building new supply infrastructure like reservoirs.

More information about the challenges for water resources, and actions to address these, is set out in the Commons Library research briefing Future water resources.

Are droughts becoming more common?

Yes.

Climate science finds that extreme weather events are already becoming more frequent in all parts of the world.

The Environment Agency has said that climate change means the UK is experiencing longer, hotter summers, “leading to an increased likelihood of drought”.

Analysis from the Met Office has found that events such as the summer 2022 heatwave, which had prolonged hot weather and long periods with no rainfall, are indicative of what the UK’s future climate could look like as a result of climate change.

About the author: Nuala Burnett is a senior researcher at the House of Commons Library specialising in Climate Change.