Yorkshire area enters drought, English reservoir levels fall again: comment
Reservoir storage continues to fall at most reservoirs or reservoir groups, with England storage at 54%, 21% below average for the time of year.
By Tom Cantillon
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Commenting on government data published today showing that the Yorkshire area will move to drought - joining 10 others already with drought status - while reservoir storage continues to fall at most reservoirs or reservoir groups, with England storage at 54%, 21% below average for the time of year [1], Tom Cantillon, analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said:
"Yorkshire has just gone into drought in October, the month when England's water supplies should be recovering, not getting worse. Instead, reservoirs are still falling and are now more than a fifth below normal, and two water companies have asked ministers for powers to restrict businesses' water use.
"Hotter summers dried out England so badly that it's starting autumn in deficit. The more the climate heats up, the more often households and businesses will be living under bans like these, and getting emissions to net zero is the only way to stop this from happening by bringing our climate back into balance."
Notes to editors:
- Environment Agency, 9 Oct 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dry-weather-and-drought-in-england-2026-summary-reports/dry-weather-and-drought-in-england-2-to-8-october-2026
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