Hosepipe bans in force as drought declared - is your area affected?
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- The Environment Agency declared drought across more than half of England while Natural Resources Wales declared it across the whole of Wales, after both countries provisionally recorded their driest July on record on top of a dry spring and early summer.
- Nine UK water companies — eight in central, southern and eastern England and one in Wales — have imposed hosepipe bans covering more than 25 million people, prohibiting use for gardens, vehicles, windows and pools.
- Almost all river flows in England are currently classified as "below normal" by the EA, and England's reservoirs sit below the seasonal average, though above levels seen at the same point in 2025.
- Eastern Scotland is now in the most extreme "significant scarcity" category, while Northern Ireland has no official drought and Welsh Water says its resource position is "relatively strong."
- The Met Office expects the UK to experience drier summers on average as the world warms, and a landmark review criticized English and Welsh water companies for historic underinvestment in infrastructure.
- The government and water companies are planning nine new reservoirs for England by 2050, on top of one already under construction at Havant Thicket in Hampshire, while the EA warns that leak controls and demand measures — potentially including more smart meters — may also be needed.
- South-east England relies more heavily on groundwater, which hydrologists say responds more slowly to climate changes but can produce longer-lasting droughts once depleted.
Why it matters: With 25 million people under hosepipe bans and the EA warning that further demand controls may be needed, regulators are now publicly tying drought response to long-standing underinvestment flagged in a landmark water-sector review. The nine new reservoirs planned for England by 2050 won't offset near-term summers, and the EA has already conceded that leak reduction and smart-meter rollout may have to do the heavy lifting in the meantime.
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