England drought deepens after driest spring in 132 years

The Environment Agency declared drought in the West and East Midlands as Yorkshire and north-west England remained in drought, with hosepipe bans already in force for customers of Yorkshire Water, Southern Water, South East Water and Thames Water. The National Drought Group met after spring 2025 across England turned out to be the driest since 1893, and officials said the parched conditions were spreading across southern, central and eastern England.

BBC Weather said some parts of England had gone almost a month without measurable wet weather, while large swathes of the country had recorded 0% of the rainfall they would normally expect in July. That left reservoirs, river flows and soils under strain just as another heatwave kept pressure on supplies, crops and households.

The Met Office said summer 2025 was officially the hottest on record for the UK, with a provisional mean temperature of 16.10C, 1.51C above the long-term average. Its forecast for Thursday 30 July to Saturday 8 August pointed to a dry start in southern England, with sunny periods and very warm temperatures, while the north was expected to stay cloudier with showers or longer outbreaks of rain. The outlook later turned more changeable, with the chance of heavy rain and strong winds.

The dry spell had already forced practical action on the ground. In a June 27 blog, the Environment Agency said it was supporting farmers to manage the impacts of dry weather after reporting that spring 2025 had been the driest since 1893, with all areas receiving well below average rainfall. That mattered most in the regions already living with restrictions, where low river flows and depleted reservoirs can quickly hit irrigation, livestock, wildlife and drinking water systems.

The latest restrictions widened the pressure on households and water companies at the same time. Yorkshire Water, Southern Water, South East Water and Thames Water had already moved to hosepipe bans, and the West and East Midlands became the latest regions to be formally declared in drought. With Yorkshire and north-west England already in drought, the map of dry conditions showed how a missing season of rain had become a wider test of England’s water resilience just as the heat returned.