Drought Risk Grows As Data Highlights UK Water Supply Vulnerability

The UK is facing renewed concerns over water security after the National Drought Group warned that an exceptionally dry spring has significantly increased the risk of drought developing across parts of England this summer.

While England only officially emerged from drought three months ago and national reservoir storage currently stands at 88.6%, the Environment Agency (EA) says regional conditions are deteriorating rapidly following one of the driest springs on record.

For fresh produce growers, the warning comes at a critical point in the season. 

Limited spring rainfall has already triggered an earlier start to irrigation across eastern and south-eastern England, increasing demand from on-farm reservoirs as crops enter peak growing periods.

Some areas are starting to see the impacts of prolonged dry weather, with the late May heatwave adding to concerns about the months ahead, including the potential for flash drought triggered by prolonged periods of low rainfall combined with high temperatures.

Already, parts of East Anglia have returned to prolonged dry weather status. Devon and Cornwall are also at risk of doing so later this summer if dry conditions continue. 

These regions include some of the UK’s most important production areas for vegetables, potatoes, and horticultural crops, where reliable irrigation is fundamental to maintaining yields and quality.

Between March and May, England received just 65% of its long-term average rainfall, although the picture varies sharply across the country. 

Southern England recorded only around half its average rainfall, while northern regions received close to normal levels.

Water Infrastructure Under Growing Scrutiny

The latest Environment Agency data has also renewed attention on the resilience of England’s wider water infrastructure, leading to reports of insufficient reservoir capacity due to a lack of storage expansion.

Despite sufficient rainfall during the spring, a number of regional reservoirs stand at 50-60 per cent capacity, according to the EA, highlighting underinvestment constraints and leakage issues across ageing pipelines.

Several reservoirs serving southern England – Roadford, Colliford, and Ardingly – have experienced pronounced swings in storage over recent years, with some relying heavily on wet winters to recover after prolonged dry periods. 

This pattern has reportedly intensified debate over whether the UK’s existing water infrastructure is sufficiently resilient to cope with increasingly frequent extremes of weather.

Growers Seek Long-Term Water Security

With growers reliant on irrigation, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) says maintaining access to water must remain central to protecting domestic food production as weather patterns become less predictable. 

“Irrigation is vital for the growth of many crops,” pointed out NFU Deputy President Paul Tompkins.

“Food security depends on profitable farm businesses having reliable access to the water needed to produce food for the nation.”

Considering that current projections for summer water availability range from moderate to poor in parts of the country, Tompkins said it is “essential” that farmers and growers retain the flexibility within their licences to access water when it is available to sustain crop production. 

“To safeguard our domestic food supply, we must build resilience to climate volatility,” he explained. 

“To secure farmers and growers’ access to water during shortages, they need enabling planning rules and regulatory reforms that support on-farm water storage, investment in water efficiency and innovation in more water-efficient crops and systems.”

The NFU has urged urgent action on water resilience; consistently arguing that investment in on-farm reservoirs, more flexible abstraction licensing, and faster planning approvals will be essential if growers are to adapt to increasingly volatile weather conditions. 

Indeed England's three warmest springs on record have now occurred in 2024, 2025, and 2026, with nine of the ten warmest springs since 1884 recorded within the last two decades.

For the remainder of this month (July), the Met Office is forecasting above-average temperatures and continued settled weather, thereby increasing the likelihood that irrigation demand will remain elevated across much of the growing season.

“Heatwaves will continue to be a concern as they can drive spikes in water demand, so we need to continue to work collaboratively to use our finite water wisely,” noted National Drought Group Chair and Environment Agency Director of Water Helen Wakeham.

“While many of us enjoy the hot weather, we ask everyone to be mindful of their water use. Every drop saved leaves more available for farmers, our local rivers and wildlife.”

For the fresh produce industry, the message is increasingly clear. Although overall water resources remain in a stronger position than during previous drought years, local water availability is becoming more variable and increasingly influenced by climate extremes. 

As growers face rising irrigation demand and greater uncertainty around future water supplies, long-term investment in storage, distribution, and water efficiency is moving from a strategic ambition to a commercial necessity.

Read the EA’s latest irrigation prospects for 2026 here.