14 Aug 2025

Image description: A field of dry grass. Image by Alexandre Debiève / Unsplash   The National Drought Group met this week with the current water shortfall situation in England now defined as a “nationally significant incident” according to the Environment Agency. The agency reported that five of its fourteen operational regions are already in drought, […]

31 Jul 2025

New findings from studying over two decades of satellite observations reveal that Earth’s continents have experienced unprecedented freshwater loss since 2002, driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts. The study, led by Arizona State University and published in Science Advances, highlights the emergence of four continental-scale “mega-drying” regions, all located in the northern hemisphere, […]

17 Jul 2025

The National Drought Group (NDG) met on 15 July as a drought is declared in the West and East Midlands. Dry weather continues to impact water resources across England requiring water companies to take action to manage demand with the public being urged to use water wisely. While drought conditions continue across much of the […]

10 Jul 2025

Image description: A drak green hosepipe stored away in a garden. Image by VariousPhotography / Pixabay   Yorkshire Water is introducing a hosepipe ban affecting more than five million people, that come into effect from Friday (11 July). It marks the first hosepipe ban to be declared in the UK this year. Yorkshire Water said […]

03 Jul 2025

Image description: An aerial view of a sewage treatment works. Photo by Patrick Federi / Unsplash   Britain’s Southern Water has secured up to 1.2 billion pounds ($1.65 billion) of equity from a consortium led by Australia’s Macquarie Asset Management and agreed to refinancing terms with creditors to avert a debt crisis. Southern Water, which […]

26 Jun 2025

 Image description: A water pump with water pouring out as it is operated. Image by congerdesign from Pixabay   Water abstraction surges to record levels An investigation into licensing data by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian found that the volume of water taken from rivers and lakes for industrial or public consumption in England, known […]

19 Jun 2025

Image by Jonathan Bean, Un   In their new report National Framework for Water Resources 2025: water for growth, nature and a resilient future, the Environment Agency is warning that England faces a 5 billion litre a day shortage in our public water supplies by 2055 – unless urgent action is taken. The report, published […]

12 Jun 2025

Image description: Dry, cracked earth. Image by Yusuf Gündüz.   National Drought Group to meet monthly  The Environment Agency (EA) convened a National Drought Group meeting, following the driest spring since 1893. EA director of water, Helen Wakeham, announced the group, which is formed of the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, farmers, and experts, […]