More than two-thirds of England now in drought

More than two-thirds of England is now officially in drought after the country recorded its driest July since records began in 1836.

The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs were moved into drought status on Monday.

They join around half of England and the whole of Wales, already affected by drought conditions.

The decision was made by the National Drought Group, which brings together regulators, government officials, water companies and agricultural organizations.

"Along with the areas announced last week, most of the country (71.3%) is now experiencing a flash drought – which develops very quickly brought about by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures," it said.

About 45 million people are now living in drought-affected areas of England, with more than 27 million facing water use restrictions, it noted.

"Drought conditions are worsening and will continue to do so until we see significant and sustained rainfall. We know the hot and dry weather is taking a real toll on farming and there will be long-lasting impacts on our environment," Tony Grayling, chair of the National Drought Group, said in a statement.

Water Minister Emma Hardy, who attended the National Drought Group meeting on Monday, also said: "We know how challenging this summer has been, especially for our hard-working farmers who are at the sharp end of climate change and an increasing number of floods and droughts."

"We are stepping up our support including working to make it easier for farmers to build more on-site irrigation reservoirs. We are also delivering long-term change in the water industry to reduce leaks and deliver nine new reservoirs and water transfer schemes to secure supplies," she underlined.

Heat health alerts have been upgraded across England ahead of a week of soaring temperatures, with highs of up to 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) forecast in the southeast on Thursday.

Last month, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Britain recorded 2,877 excess deaths during the May and June heat waves, nearly double the 1,504 excess deaths recorded during the summer of 2025.

On July 30, a drought was declared for Wales as a whole amid deteriorating conditions caused by sustained high temperatures, while a drought was also declared last month across half of England following record-low rainfall and prolonged high temperatures.