The Environment Agency has confirmed that more areas in England now in Prolonged Dry Weather status - all of East Anglia, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire have now moved to this status, following continued dry conditions.

Although no areas are as yet in drought, other areas in prolonged dry weather are:

• Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
• East Anglia – Cam & Ely Ouse, North West & North Norfolk catchments
• Solent and South Downs – Hampshire and Isle of Wight catchments

According to the EA’s latest update on dry weather and drought in England for the period 10 July to 16 July 2026, July has continued to be very dry with only 3% of the long term average (LTA) rainfall received. Whilst temperatures have decreased somewhat, it has still been warm placing a lot of demands on water company resources.

River flows continue to decrease with the majority below normal or lower and reservoir storage has dropped to 78.8% for England around 5% below the LTA for the time of year.

River flows decreased at most indicator sites, and the majority are now classed as below normal or lower for the time of year. Thirteen sites were classed as notably low, mainly in central, east and southern England. Seven sites were classed as exceptionally low for the time of year, including the River Swale in the north-east, the River Tone in the south-west, and the River Cam in east England.

In the week ending 14 July, reservoir storage for England was 78.8%, which is 5% below the LTA for the time of year. Almost all reservoirs recorded a decrease in storage in the week, and over half of reservoirs are now classed as below normal or lower for the time of year. This includes 6 reservoirs classed as notably low, including Wimbleball (South West Water), Grafham (Anglian Water) and Hanningfield (Essex and Suffolk Water). Blagdon reservoir operated by Bristol Water was classed as exceptionally low for the time of year.

Following the introduction of a temporary use ban (TUB) in Kent by South East Water at the start of July, due to high demand impacting network capacity, further water companies have announced TUBs. TUBs were introduced for:

• Anglian Water on 11 July
• South West Water on 14 July for a small area in parts of Devon and Dorset served by a water treatment works
• Affinity Water for its central region from 17 July
• Cambridge Water from 17 July due predominantly to high demands
• Southern Water in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, from 10 July triggered by resilience issues for this area and the potential for a drought order application for the River Test

In the agricultural sector, impacts from the heatwaves are increasingly being observed, with winter storage levels declining rapidly, more abstraction restrictions in place, and increasing demand for irrigation and drinking water for livestock. Cereal harvest has started earlier than expected, but the later sown spring crops have been impacted by the dry spring. Some livestock farmers in East Anglia are reporting issues with the lack of forage.

Environmental incidents, such as those with dead fish due to dry weather and drought, are steadily increasing and wildfires are occurring around the country.

The Environment Agency is increasing its drought response activities, actively coordinating preparedness - the National Drought Group was scheduled to meet yesterday in its latest monthly meeting of the summer.