The wet start to 2026 has allowed for water levels in England to recover from last year’s drought, according to the Environment Agency (EA).
At a National Drought Group meeting, board members heard that last affected English region, East Anglia, had finally recovered from drought,
While the increased rainfall is positive news for water supplies, the expert group warned that exceptional levels of rain have caused devastating flooding in many communities.
The EA stated that the risk of drought is currently low for this year, although the possibility of a flash drought remains, which is brought about by a sudden combination of very low rainfall and hot temperatures.
Flooding
Speaking after the National Drought Group meeting yesterday (March 23), the group’s chair and director of water at the EA, Helen Wakeham emphasised the importance of protecting against flooding following a drought.
She said: “The winter rainfall has helped our depleted reservoirs and rivers to recover and, while we welcome the improved picture, we are mindful of the problems that flooding brings too.
“We enter spring in a favourable position, but we can never be complacent.
“We expect water companies to carry on quickly fixing burst pipes and to be ready to enact their drought plans in a timely manner, if needed.”
Drought
An announcement was made at yesterday’s meeting that water companies are finalising their statutory drought plans.
According to the EA, these statutory drought plans are produced every five years and detail how public supplies and the environment will be protected during dry weather.
Minister for Water at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Emma Hardy outlined that the government is still focused on preventing drought from happening again, despite the recent wet weather.
She commented: “Our climate is changing, droughts are becoming increasingly common, and we need to be prepared.
“We expect water companies to update their draft statutory drought plans by the end of March and plan for more extreme dry weather – in the hope it never comes.
“In the longer-term, the government is taking decisive action to secure supplies, including nine new reservoirs, multiple water transfer schemes, and eight desalination projects.”
Weather
The EA described weather across England as a “mixed picture” in recent months, with the south-west falling victim to widespread flooding following the second wettest December to February in history.
In contrast, East Anglia’s river flows and groundwater levels have been slower to recover from last year’s drought, which has meant delays for some farmers in refilling their on-site reservoirs ahead of the irrigation season.
The Met Office forecast that conditions will be drier than average for the rest of this month “albeit with the usual regional variations.”
Head of environment and energy at the Met Office, Sarah Davies said: “High pressure is expected to dominate across the UK through to the end of March, keeping conditions mostly fine and dry with limited rainfall, and temperatures near or slightly above average.
“As we head into early April, there are some early signs the weather could become more changeable, however, there is still no strong indication at this time of a shift towards significantly wetter conditions.
“We continue to work closely with the Environment Agency and other partners to monitor conditions and support preparedness efforts as we move through spring.”
