Drought declared in Midlands after hot, dry weather takes its toll

The East and West Midlands have officially entered drought, joining the North West and Yorkshire, after yet another hot and dry spell of weather.

The Environment Agency announcement follows England’s driest start to the year since 1976, leaving many rivers across the Midlands at extremely low levels.

Declaring a drought is a public sign that water companies might introduce restrictions on water use if they aren’t already in place. That can involve hosepipe bans, which have already started for millions of people in Yorkshire.

Droughts are driven by natural weather patterns, but climate change and our growing use of water are raising the risks of water shortages, the Environment Agency says.

The National Drought Group is made up of the Environment Agency (EA), government, Met Office, water companies and others, and manages preparations for dry conditions in England.

It met on Tuesday morning and announced that it had “stepped up” its response, adding that conditions in the Midlands had deteriorated since early June.

Most of the rest of the England is in a status of prolonged dry weather – the category below drought – except for parts of the South West, East and South East.

There are no official droughts in Northern Ireland or Wales, although Mid and South Ceredigion in west Wales are in “developing drought”.

Scotland does not declare droughts but monitors “water scarcity”. Parts of eastern Scotland are in “moderate” scarcity – the second most extreme category – which means there is “clear” environmental impact.

In England there is no single definition of drought, but it is ultimately caused by a prolonged period of low rainfall, which has knock-on effects for nature, agriculture and water supplies.

England had its driest spring in more than 100 years, followed by its warmest June on record.

Some areas experienced three heatwaves in quick succession in June and July, with the intense warmth drawing more moisture out of the soil.

So while it may be raining where you live today, it’s unlikely to be enough to bring water levels back to normal across the country.

The dry conditions can even be seen from space, with much of England much browner than usual.

That parched ground can have serious impacts on nature and farming.

Standhill Farm in Derbyshire has seen the lowest rainfall for a quarter of a century. The farmer, Robert Thornhill, has been taking meticulous readings of precipitation and grass length across his dairy farm for the last 24 years.

“It has been by far the driest spring by a long way,” says Mr Thornhill. “The first quarter of this year was 50% drier than the next driest measurement I’ve taken.”

“Less precipitation means less grass growth,” he adds. In fact, there is now so little grass he can only let his 250-strong herd graze overnight, he says.

During the day they’ve been eating silage – fermented grass he cut on the farm last year. That would normally be used as winter feed so he’s eating into his reserves but at least it means the cows can shelter in a barn out of the sun.

But as a result, Mr Thornhill says the milk yield is down almost 10% – a big hit in terms of revenues.

The River Derwent in the East Midlands, which provides water for three million people, is at its lowest level ever recorded.

That doesn’t mean households will be without water, but low river levels are having serious consequences for the environment.

“It’s absolutely concerning,” said Matt Gable of the EA in the East Midlands, adding that fish stocks were already taking a hit.

“[The rivers] are such an important part of the ecosystem, and clearly it’s not an aquatic ecosystem at the moment when there’s no water in it,” he said.

“So the longer it goes on, the more the more problematic it will be, and we’re starting to see these impacts increase now as climate change begins to bite.”

The EA declares droughts in England based on reservoir levels, river flows and how dry the soil is, alongside long-term weather forecasts.

England is in a better place than it was in the infamous drought of 1976, which was preceded by a dry 1975. This year, by contrast, was preceded by a wet 2024, which left water levels in a healthier state.

But in a “reasonable worst-case scenario” – where regions get 80% of their long-term average rainfall – another three regions across parts of central, eastern and southern England could enter drought status by September, according to the EA.

Current long-term forecasts suggest roughly normal levels of rainfall over the next few months, however.

If further droughts are declared, it does not automatically mean that hosepipe bans will be put in place, but these can often follow.

Hosepipe bans have already started for millions of people in Yorkshire.

Bans in other regions, such as parts of Kent, Sussex and the Thames region, will come into effect in the second half of the month, but these places are not in drought status at the moment.

Without further “substantial” rain, some water companies may need to implement further drought measures, including more hosepipe bans, according to evidence given to the National Drought Group.

The group adds that the public can play an important role by reducing water use in homes and gardens, while water companies need to take action to reduce leaks.

“It’s about everyone playing a part, whether that’s members of the public [or] water companies, everyone working together to deal with this, because we have had one of the driest starts to the year in 50 years,” said Water Minister Emma Hardy.

The EA warned last month that England’s water supplies could face a shortfall of six billion litres a day by 2055 without dramatic action, driven by rising temperatures, population growth and other factors.

Climate change is expected to lead to drier summers on average, while more intense heatwaves mean more water can be lost via evaporation.

Additional reporting by Jess Carr, Phil Leake and Muskeen Liddar