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The driest April to September in over a century, and six counties now officially in severe drought

Qurexa Editorial Team18 October 20267 min read 0 0
The driest April to September in over a century, and six counties now officially in severe drought

What happened

On 15 October 2026, the government declared severe drought in parts of England. The areas affected are parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. The South East and the South West had their driest April to September in over a century, and reservoir levels in those regions fell as a result. Alongside the declaration, ministers activated a plan aimed at protecting water supplies and consumers. Water companies have been told to check reservoir and river levels daily, and to increase water quality testing. The Environment Agency will inspect businesses that take water from rivers and boreholes more often, to confirm they are staying within their permitted limits. Local Resilience Forums, which coordinate councils, emergency services and other local bodies, have been activated so support can be organised quickly if it becomes necessary. One instruction stands out. Emma Hardy, the Water Minister, has told the Environment Agency to prioritise public water supplies over environmental rules where the two conflict. In practice, that allows water companies to hold back more water in depleted reservoirs rather than releasing it to rivers. The government says customer water supplies will not be interrupted, and that the declaration is intended to act before any disruption happens. Dame Angela Eagle, the Environment Secretary, said: "This level of drought is something we have not experienced for decades." Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said: "We cannot change the weather, but water companies can act now."

Why this matters

A severe drought declaration is not the same as the taps running dry. It is a formal step that unlocks powers and changes priorities. The most consequential part is the instruction to put public supply ahead of environmental rules. Normally, water companies must release a certain amount of water into rivers to keep them healthy. Rivers need flow for fish to breathe and move, and to dilute what is in them. Holding water back protects the taps and puts the river under strain instead. That is a genuine trade-off, and it is being made deliberately. It is why the Environment Agency is also stepping up water quality testing: lower river flows concentrate whatever pollution is already there. For households, the practical effect this autumn is mostly about restrictions, and about the year ahead rather than this week. Drought does not end when it rains once. Reservoirs refill slowly, and groundwater, the water held in rock beneath us, takes far longer. A dry autumn and winter would mean the South West starts next spring already behind. Mr Duffy made that point directly, saying recovery depends on both rainfall and water use, and asking the public to use less water.

What the evidence actually says

The announcement is more careful than some of the coverage around it, and the careful bits matter. The only quantified claim in the release is the record: the driest April to September in over a century for the South East and South West. It gives no reservoir fill percentages and no rainfall totals. So if you see a specific "reservoirs are at X%" figure attached to this story, it has come from a water company or the Environment Agency's separate water situation reports, not from this announcement. The release also states plainly that customer supplies will not be interrupted, and that the point of declaring now is to act before disruption. That is a prediction based on current conditions, not a cast-iron guarantee for every month ahead. It is worth knowing this did not come out of nowhere. The National Drought Group, which brings together the Met Office, regulators, water companies and the National Farmers' Union, has met regularly since August. The release also lists long-term measures: £104 billion for water infrastructure upgrades, nine new reservoirs, and planning rule changes to make reservoir construction easier. Those are plans spanning many years. None of them will put water in a Devon reservoir this winter. One more honest note. A severe drought declaration does not automatically mean a hosepipe ban. Restrictions are decided by individual water companies for their own areas, so what applies to you depends on your supplier, not on the national declaration.

Qurexa perspective

This is mostly outside what we do, with one exception worth flagging. If you take regular medicines, water matters more than people assume. Some medicines, including certain blood pressure tablets, diuretics and some diabetes medicines, make dehydration more likely or more dangerous. Older people feel thirst less reliably, and a surprising number of autumn and winter hospital admissions involve someone who simply was not drinking enough. So please do not take "use less water" to mean drink less. Saving water is about hosepipes, baths, washing machines and leaks. It is never about the glass beside your chair. If you are not sure whether your medicines make dehydration a particular risk for you, your pharmacist can check in a couple of minutes. We offer that kind of medicines review across Lincolnshire alongside delivery, but any community pharmacist can do it, and it is worth asking.

Practical advice

**Find out what restrictions apply where you live.** Check your own water company's website. The national declaration does not itself ban hosepipes; your supplier decides. **Fix dripping taps and running loos.** A leaking toilet can waste hundreds of litres a day and is often an easy fix. This is the single biggest saving most homes can make. **Shorten showers and skip the bath.** A few minutes less, every day, adds up faster than any one-off effort. **Only run full loads.** Washing machines and dishwashers use roughly the same water whether half full or full. **Keep a jug by the sink.** Catch the cold water you run off while waiting for hot, and use it for plants. **Ask your supplier for a free water-saving kit.** Many offer shower timers, tap inserts and cistern devices at no cost, and most people never claim them. **Keep drinking normally.** Aim for regular fluids through the day, more in hot weather or if you are unwell. Dark urine, headache, dizziness and confusion can all be signs of dehydration, and confusion in an older person is a reason to seek medical advice rather than wait. **Check on older or unwell neighbours.** Dehydration creeps up quietly, and a cup of tea and a conversation catches it earlier than anything else.

What to know

Severe drought has been declared in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex, after the driest April to September in over a century across the South East and South West. Water companies must now monitor reservoir and river levels daily and increase water quality testing, the Environment Agency will inspect commercial water abstraction more often, and Local Resilience Forums have been activated. The most significant decision is the Water Minister's instruction to prioritise public water supply over environmental rules where they conflict, letting companies hold water back in low reservoirs. That protects taps at some cost to rivers. The government says supplies will not be interrupted. The declaration contains no reservoir or rainfall figures beyond the record dry period, and it does not itself impose a hosepipe ban, which is a decision for each water company. Recovery depends on rain and on how much water we use, so the useful response is unglamorous: fix leaks, shorten showers, run full loads, and claim the free water-saving kit your supplier probably owes you. Keep drinking normally; saving water is not about drinking less. Sources: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Environment Agency, "Government activates plan to protect consumers as severe drought declared in parts of England", 15 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-activates-plan-to-protect-consumers-as-severe-drought-declared-in-parts-of-england; Environment Agency, https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency; NHS guidance on dehydration, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/ This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. If you are worried about dehydration, or about how your medicines affect your fluid needs, speak to your GP or pharmacist, or call NHS 111.

#drought#water supply#Environment Agency#South West England#water saving#climate

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