Environment Agency figures show England entering October 2026 with reservoir storage under sustained pressure after the sixth below-average rainfall month of the year. The agency said most reservoirs are now classed as notably or exceptionally low, even though storage would normally be 74.3% full at this point in the calendar. Instead, many sites are below half capacity. Ardingly Reservoir in West Sussex was reported at 23% full and Wimbleball in Somerset at 21%, underlining how little margin remains as the country moves into the winter recharge period.
The government is responding on two tracks: tighter management of current supplies and a wider package of legislative and regulatory change. Ministers have placed water security firmly in the public-interest category, while the Environment Agency and water companies continue to meet weekly through the National Drought Group. That matters because autumn is usually the point at which stocks begin to recover. With storage still under strain in several regions, the response is no longer centred on waiting for rain. It is now focused on whether companies are following their statutory drought plans closely enough to protect supplies through the winter.
According to the Environment Agency, one of the main short-term tools is the drought permit process, supported by enhanced monitoring and additional checks on abstractors. These permits can temporarily change how much water a company must release into local rivers, so that more is retained for public supply while still remaining subject to environmental assessment. The agency said it is working on 10 drought permit applications and has already granted one to support Ardingly Reservoir. In policy terms, that shows regulators are prepared to alter normal operating rules where supply risk is becoming more immediate.
Demand controls are also moving closer. South East Water is preparing an application for a non-essential use ban, the legal route commonly used for hosepipe-style restrictions on discretionary water use. The stated aim is to preserve more water for essential household demand and avoid sharper emergency steps later. The timing reflects a difficult pattern for operators. Cooler weather has reduced some seasonal demand, but government figures indicate overall use remains above what would normally be expected for this time of year. Without a marked change in rainfall or consumption, reservoir levels are expected to keep falling through the rest of 2026.
September was the sixth month of 2026 to record below-average rainfall, at 65% of the national average, according to the government statement. The regional picture was more severe in the areas already facing the strongest drought pressure: the east received 52% of average rainfall, the south east 57%, central England 59% and the south west 69%. The Environment Agency has also warned that England would need 120% of average rainfall over the next seven months to be out of drought by next spring. Even if El Niño increases the chance of a wetter and stormier autumn, ministers and regulators are making clear that a wet spell does not automatically end drought conditions, particularly where soils remain very dry and reservoir deficits are already deep.
The National Drought Group has also announced two changes to abstraction licensing for agriculture. Farmers are being allowed to begin filling on-farm storage reservoirs earlier than the usual 1 November date, giving them more time to capture water for future use if dry conditions continue into the next growing season. The concession is limited. The Environment Agency said it will not apply in principal salmon river catchments, where fish stocks need protection, or in places already subject to section 57 restrictions. A second change is intended to make it simpler for farmers to apply for longer-term abstraction licences, easing the administrative route to resilience while keeping environmental safeguards in place.
Alongside the short-term response, ministers are using the drought to argue for a more basic reset in water policy. The government said a strengthened Water Bill will sit at the centre of that work, while water companies are being pressed to cut leakage, reduce demand and activate contingency plans where needed. The same case for reform runs through planning and infrastructure policy. Government plans include nine new major reservoirs, further desalination capacity and additional water transfers between regions. Changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Act are also intended to allow non-water companies to bring forward reservoir schemes that would automatically be treated as nationally significant infrastructure projects, speeding up the approvals process.
The wider resilience package extends beyond household water supply. The government has pointed to a £65 million package for farmers affected by drought, including up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs, and a separate £100 million allocation to strengthen readiness for extreme weather and wildfires. Defra is also continuing work on mandatory water-efficiency labelling, a response to consultation on water use in new homes and nature-based measures such as peatland restoration, wetland creation and tree planting. Taken together, the announcement shows drought policy moving beyond seasonal messaging and into a broader regulatory programme. For households, the immediate issue is whether demand restrictions can steady supplies. For farmers, it is whether licensing changes and storage funding arrive quickly enough to improve resilience. For ministers and regulators, the test is whether emergency tools, planning reform and long-term investment can begin to narrow the gap between current supply capacity and the conditions that repeated dry years are now exposing.