England is experiencing a "nationally significant" water crisis as drought officials warn of widespread shortfalls despite July rainfall. The country faces its fourth heatwave of summer 2025, with dry conditions returning just as water supplies remain severely stretched across multiple regions.
The UK Health Security Agency issued amber heat-health alerts for central and southern England including London, the South East, East of England, East Midlands, and West Midlands, as the Express reports. The BBC confirmed that temperatures could reach 34°C on Tuesday, adding further pressure to already strained water resources.
Record-breaking drought conditions
Central England has recorded its driest February to July period since 1921, while the country experienced its driest spring since 1893. Reservoir levels fell 2% last week and now stand at just 67.7% full on average across England, compared to the normal 80.5% for the first week of August.
Nearly half of England's rivers (49%) had below normal flows in July, with the Wye and Ely Ouse at their lowest levels on record. The lowest reservoirs include Blithfield in Staffordshire, Derwent Valley group in Derbyshire, and Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake in Somerset, all less than half full.
Conservation efforts showing results
Yorkshire Water achieved a 10% reduction in domestic demand following their hosepipe ban, saving up to 80 million litres per day - equivalent to 32 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The Independent reports that South East Water supplied 680 million litres on 30 June, more than 100 million litres above the daily summer average, highlighting peak demand stress.
More than 8.5 million households remain under hosepipe bans from Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, South East Water, and Southern Water, according to the Independent. Environment Agency director Helen Wakeham said the situation requires collective action from water companies, farmers, and the public to reduce pressure on the water environment.
Agricultural and wildfire impacts
Farmers face significant crop yield drops with some reporting financially devastating losses, while minimal grass growth forces livestock farmers to use winter feed stocks early. The National Farmers' Union warned this could raise production costs later in the year and impact the UK's overall harvest.
Major wildfires at Holt Heath in Dorset required over 100 firefighters and forced evacuation of 20 homes, alongside blazes on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, as the Express reports. The incidents prompted Fire Brigades Union warnings that budget cuts have left fire services without sufficient crews and resources to cope with increasing wildfire incidents.
Fire service resource warnings
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said these "intensive and dangerous incidents" require large numbers of firefighters and specialist equipment. He called for government investment to rebuild resilience as services face rising temperatures and increased incident rates without adequate resources.
Met Office chief meteorologist Dr Will Lang indicated largely settled conditions continuing into the second half of August, with high pressure building and dry weather remaining more likely despite possible occasional rain or thunderstorms.
Sources used: "PA Media", "Express", "BBC", "Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
