The Environment Agency has declared drought conditions across seven regions of England, meaning more than half the country is now officially affected as prolonged hot, dry weather depletes water supplies. The declaration matters because it signals mounting strain on rivers, farming and wildfire risk, with millions of people already subject to hosepipe bans, and follows warnings that England's water is being used faster than it can be naturally replenished.

July brought just 7% of expected rainfall across England, dropping to only 1% in the south, with knock-on effects including low river flows, early harvests and heightened wildfire danger. The seven affected regions are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex, while parts of North Wales and eastern Scotland are also experiencing dry conditions. This is the third drought in five years, following 2022 and 2025, and comes as the Met Office confirmed the UK's June temperature record was even higher than first reported, revised up to 38.0C in Lingwood, Norfolk.