The government has declared severe drought in parts of six English counties, announcing additional measures to safeguard public water supplies after prolonged dry weather depleted reservoirs across southern England.
The designation, confirmed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on 15 October 2026, applies to parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. Officials said the South East and South West experienced their driest April-to-September period in more than a century.
What measures are being introduced?
Ministers have instructed water companies to carry out daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and more intensive water-quality monitoring. The Environment Agency will increase compliance checks on businesses that take water from rivers and other natural sources to ensure they remain within permitted limits.
Local Resilience Forums are also being activated to prepare support arrangements should they become necessary. Water Minister Emma Hardy has instructed the Environment Agency to prioritise protecting public water supplies in affected areas where there is an unavoidable conflict between environmental rules and maintaining supplies. The government says this may allow companies to retain more water in depleted reservoirs.
Ministers respond to falling reservoir levels
Environment Secretary Angela Eagle said the scale of the drought was exceptional and urged the public to use water carefully. Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy called on water companies to follow their drought plans and take the steps needed to secure public supplies.
The declaration follows coordination through the National Drought Group, which brings together government departments, regulators, water companies and other organisations. Defra also highlighted longer-term plans for water infrastructure, including nine major new reservoirs.
Does severe drought mean water supplies will stop?
No interruption to household water supplies has been announced as a consequence of the declaration. Defra says the immediate steps are designed to protect supplies before disruption occurs. The Environment Agency explains that severe drought is its highest drought classification, but that declaring it does not automatically introduce new restrictions or constitute a civil emergency.
Existing restrictions may differ by water company and area. Separate applications for further limits on non-essential water use should not be described as approved unless a formal decision is announced.