Driest July Ever Puts Half Of England In Drought
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- Environment Agency data shows England received just 7% of its long-term average rainfall in July 2026 — the driest July since records began nearly two centuries ago — triggering drought declarations across half of England and all of Wales.
- National Drought Group chair Helen Wakeham called this year's drought "exceptionally serious" and warned of long-lasting impacts on the environment and economy; the country has now seen three droughts in the past five years.
- South East Water told customers this week that supplies in its area were "critically low" and warned they may lose supply unless demand drops; roughly 40% of England's population is currently under a hosepipe ban, with breaches carrying fines of up to £1,000.
- Greenpeace UK research found water companies waste 2.87bn litres a day through leaky pipes — enough to fill 1,150 Olympic swimming pools and a fifth of all water pumped through the network — and no major reservoir has been built in England or Wales since 1992.
- The Environment Agency projects England could be short by 5bn litres of public water supply per day by 2055 without urgent action, while a 2025 post-drought MPs' report warned England's taps could run dry without investment in new supply infrastructure.
- Dr Anna Murgatroyd of Newcastle University said current conditions are equivalent to or worse than the infamous 1976 drought, when standpipes had to be used in the street, though she noted water company systems are more efficient today than they were then.
Why it matters: With ~40% of England already under hosepipe bans and housing development delayed in Sussex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk due to water supply constraints, the projected 5bn-litre daily shortfall by 2055 would shift the burden of scarcity onto consumers, developers, and farmers rather than the ageing infrastructure that has gone unupgraded since 1992.
