The Environment Agency has published a research report setting out the factual timeline of how the 2025 drought developed through the year in England.

Image: Environment Agency area drought stages throughout 2025

The report sets out impacts on:

• the environment
• water companies and their customers
• agriculture
• other sectors of use, including navigation and energy

The 18 months leading up to December 2024 were the wettest on record for England - but by mid-February 2025, the weather turned to settled and dry. The dry end of February continued into March, causing the driest spring since the late Victorian era.

Through June and July, there was a mixture of sunshine and showers plus a succession of heatwaves. August was especially dry and was on course for the one of the driest Augusts on record until a damp end to the month.

By the end of the summer, reservoirs across Yorkshire and the Pennines were very low, nearly 9 million people were covered by a hosepipe ban, 20% of the canal network had closed due to water shortages, and both farmers and the environment faced severe challenges.

2025 saw many historical climate records broken, with it being the sunniest and warmest year on record for England. In contrast, September, November and December saw wetter than average conditions, with areas in the East Midlands and Humberside recording the wettest November since records began.

Key statistics include:

• Driest spring in England since 1893
• 46 drought permits granted to water companies
• 15 key reservoirs were below 50% full at the end of September 2025
• Hottest summer on record: 1.69°C above the long-term average.

The first areas to declare drought were Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire Area and Cumbria and Lancashire Area in May. Yorkshire was declared as being in drought in June, followed by East and West Midlands in July.

Public water supply: impacts

Photo courtesy Environment Agency: Chew Valley Reservoir September 2025

All water companies, except Portsmouth Water activated their drought plans in 2025 and were granted 46 drought permits and 2 drought orders in 2025. Approximately 9 million people subject to a temporary use ban (TUB).

Over the summer the drought spread southwards and reservoir levels fell across central and southern England. A series of heatwaves also meant high demand for water over July and August.

At the end of the summer, public water supplies were very low. A significant number of reservoirs across the country were defined as exceptionally low. Even with the significant rainfall in September, some reservoirs continued to decline. The reservoirs in Yorkshire and the Pennines were particularly low at 30.3% and 29% respectively. A number of reservoirs in the south of the country were also below 40% full including Ardingly (South East Water), Clatworthy (Wessex Water) and Wimbleball (South West Water).

Environment: impacts

The drought particularly affected species dependent on rivers and wetlands. The high temperatures and lack of rain led to algal blooms and weed growth. The Environment Agency reported that dry weather environmental incidents increased particularly during August. The highest number of incidents were in the North West, West Midlands and South coast.

The prolonged dry weather and drought conditions experienced this year have caused environmental impacts across the whole of England. The West Midlands, North West, Yorkshire parts of the South coast have had the highest number of incidents recorded as being caused by drought and dry weather. In the West Midlands there were widespread low flows across catchments, an unusually high number of dry sites and a greater number of fish rescues and blue-green algae incidents​.

Wildfires

The dry spring, followed by a hot summer with a number of heatwaves, meant that it was a record-breaking year for wildfires. By the beginning of September, fire and rescue services in England and Wales responded to 996 wildfire incidents, surpassing the 2022 total.

Navigation: impacts

Image: Canal & River Trust closures & restirctions September 2025

© Canal & River Trust, © Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap

The drought had a major impact on the canal network, canal supply reservoirs and navigable rivers. By September, 400 miles of Canal and River Trust canals were closed, approximately 20% of the network. The situation was more severe than the 2022 drought where only 15% of the network was closed. The worst affected canals in terms of restrictions and closures were, but not exclusively, in northern and central areas of England. Some of the canal reservoir supply holdings were the lowest on record with the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canal holding as low as 11.1%.

Click here to access the report in full online