Over two-thirds of England now in drought: comment

Commenting on the National Drought Group’s assessment that more than two thirds of England is now in drought, Tom Cantillon, Senior Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said: "England has now had three droughts in five years. Reservoirs are at 69% and falling — 11.6% below normal for this time of year — farmers have had their earliest harvest in 20 years and more than 27 million people are living under water restrictions [1]. 

"The impacts are already being felt across UK agriculture, from stunted vegetable crops and lower yields [2] to poor grass growth [3] that is keeping pressure on beef prices, while heat-stressed cows [4] produced millions fewer pints of milk during this summer's heatwaves. Current data suggest that the 2026 arable harvest is likely to be one of the worst on record [5] after drought and extreme heat damaged crops, underlining how vulnerable food production is to a changing climate.

"Talk of this being the new normal undersells it: on current projections, droughts get worse and more frequent from here. We can and should plug leaks and conserve water, but no amount of hosepipe bans will fix a broken climate. Every drought from here will be shaped by how much further the world warms, and that only stops when we reach net zero and halt further warming."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Swimming pools and car washes could be banned as drought declared across most of England (The Independent) 

2. Growers in ‘crisis’ with shortages to come as drought continues (The Grocer); Heat, drought and shorter harvest windows put UK produce under pressure (Nationwide Produce) 

3. Grass growth halves as drought leaves farmers facing a shortage of feed — analysis (ECIU)

4. 25 million fewer pints of milk delivered from UK farms in May and June heatwaves – new analysis (ECIU)

5. UK harvest on track for historic lows after drought and heatwaves desiccate crops – new analysis (ECIU)

For more information or for interview requests:

George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 020 8156 5305, M: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net