Drought declared in North West England after record dry weather
29 May 2025, 10:26 | Updated: 29 May 2025, 11:00
A drought has officially been declared in North West England after one of the driest springs on record.
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The region officially entered a drought on May 21 after low water levels in reservoirs and rivers were recorded, the Environment Agency has said.
It comes as the UK experienced its sunniest spring on record, with the North West facing its third-driest February to April since 1871.
A spokesperson for the agency said: "Across the North West we officially entered drought status on 21 May due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers.
"Despite the rain over the weekend levels remain low and we are encouraging people to be aware of the impacts of drought as we enter the summer period.
"With further unsettled periods and rainfall over the coming weeks we will continue to closely monitor the situation and implement our North West Drought Plan."
England’s reservoir storage sat at just 84% by the end of April, lower than the last time the Government ordered a hosepipe ban in the summer of 2022.
Brits have been warned there is a “medium” risk of drought across all of England if there isn’t sustained rainfall soon.
It comes the Government stepped in to take control of the planning process for two major new reservoirs, as it warns UK water supplies are under threat.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed has designated two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire as “nationally significant”, escalating them from local planning to central Government.
The move aims to streamline and fast-track the delivery of the two new reservoirs, the first for more than 30 years, to improve water resources for more than three-quarters of a million homes in some of England’s most water-stressed areas and unlock the building of new homes.
The Government also says it will legislate so that major reservoirs will automatically be designated as “nationally significant” to make it easier to get them built and secure future water supplies.
Officials warn that, without action to build new reservoirs, rapid population growth, crumbling assets and a warming climate mean demand for drinking water could outstrip supply by the middle of the next decade.
A lack of water supplies is also holding back the construction of thousands of homes in parts of the country, such as Cambridge, they warn.
The two reservoirs which have been designated as nationally significant, are being proposed by Anglian Water, which wants to build the Lincolnshire reservoir south of Sleaford and is partnering with Cambridge Water for the Fens Reservoir between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire.
Under the plans, the Lincolnshire reservoir, which would provide up to 166 million litres a day for up to 500,000 homes, would be completed by 2040 and the Fens Reservoir, supplying 87 million litres a day to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK, would be completed by 2036.
