Full Breakdown
Yorkshire Scheduled for Drought Declaration as Reservoirs and Rivers Reach Critical Low Levels
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Core Event: Drought Status to Be Declared for Yorkshire
The Environment Agency (EA) will upgrade Yorkshire from “prolonged dry weather” to full drought status on Friday 9 October. The decision follows persistently low water levels in reservoirs and rivers after a dry spring, summer and an unusually dry September. The region will join central, southern and eastern England, which are already classified as being in drought, while the North East and North West remain in prolonged dry weather.
Background & Context
Yorkshire entered prolonged dry-weather status at the end of July after a lack of spring and summer rainfall. The area has experienced its fifth driest April-to-September period on record, a pattern the EA attributes to hotter, drier summers and more intense winter rainfall. The 2026 drought is the third such event in the past five years, following similar declarations in 2022 and 2025.
Data & Statistics
- April-September dryness: 5th driest on record for Yorkshire (EA data).
- Reservoir storage: Many reservoirs across England are below 50 % of normal capacity; Ardingly Reservoir (West Sussex) is about 23 % full and Wimbleball Reservoir (Somerset) about 21 % full.
- September rainfall: Averaged 65 % of normal nationwide; the east and south-east received roughly 52 %–57 % of typical September totals.
Official Statements & Responses
- Philip Duffy, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said the National Drought Group is meeting weekly to coordinate actions, including fast-tracking drought permits that allow water companies to reduce releases from reservoirs into rivers.
- South East Water has been granted a drought permit reducing compensatory flow from Ardingly Reservoir and has notified ministers of an application for a non-essential use ban (NEUB). The EA is also simplifying longer-term abstraction licences to help farmers store water earlier than the usual 1 November start date.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We encourage people to be aware of the impacts of drought and use a little less water to speed up the recovery from drought.” — Water Minister Emma Hardy
- “Even if we receive a few weeks of rain, we cannot quickly reverse the effects of the lack of rainfall during a very dry spring and summer.” — Ms Townend, EA manager
What’s Next
- 4 October: The National Drought Group announced temporary changes to abstraction licences, allowing farmers to begin filling on-farm storage reservoirs immediately.
- 1 November (scheduled): Farmers will be permitted to start filling on-farm reservoirs earlier than the usual date, except in designated salmon rivers or where statutory restrictions apply.
- The EA will continue weekly monitoring through the National Drought Group, process additional drought permit applications, and assess the need for further water-saving measures as autumn progresses.