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England and Wales have recorded their driest start to the year in decades, with river levels well below their historic average and reservoirs depleted, fuelling fears of a summer drought.
In the year to May 13, only 225mm of rain has fallen in England and Wales, 29 per cent below the long-run average, according to a Financial Times analysis of Met Office data.
By this metric, 2025 has been the driest year since 1997 and the seventh- driest year on record since comparable data began in 1931.
Rivers, soil and reservoirs have all been heavily affected by the unseasonably low rainfall, according to the monthly water situation report released on Wednesday by the Environment Agency.
Flow in two-thirds of rivers has been classed as “below normal” for this time of year, with rivers in the north of England hit hardest. Six sites in northern England recorded their lowest-ever mean April river flow, including the river Don in Doncaster and the Mersey at Ashton Weir.
The Environment Agency has warned of a “medium” risk of a summer drought and said that water companies could have to implement measures, including hosepipe bans.
Richard Thompson, deputy director of water for the Environment Agency, said he hoped to see more people reduce their water use.
“The changing climate means we will see more summer droughts in the coming decades,” he said. “The last two years were some of the wettest on record for England but drier conditions at the start of this year mean a drought is a possibility and we need to be prepared.”
England has had its driest March since 1961 while April saw just half its normal rainfall.
Reservoir storage in England remained 84 per cent full at the end of April, with the majority of sites classed as “normal” for this time of year.
At the last drought in 2022, reservoirs were 90 per cent full at the end of April. That year, five water companies imposed hosepipe bans on 19mn customers to conserve water for drinking and wastewater services.
The environment department said the levels are lowest farther north. “Reservoir levels are either notably low or exceptionally low across the North East and North West of England,” it said. “Both these regions have seen their driest start to the year since 1929.”
Some farmers are growing increasingly concerned about the potential impact on their crops if the recent drought continues into the summer.
“The lack of any substantial rain over the past few weeks is starting to raise a few concerns although the picture across farming sectors is mixed,” said National Farmers’ Union vice-president Rachel Hallos said.
“Farmers in some parts of the country have started irrigating much earlier than normal,” though she added there were “good stores of groundwater” after the “wet autumn and winter”.
At least three water companies have started taking steps to address potential drought in the coming months: Yorkshire Water, United Utilities and Severn Trent.
Chris Weston, chief executive of Thames Water — Britain’s biggest water company — said on Tuesday that he was confident customers would not “run out” of water”.
However, he added: “I am not confident that we won’t have to restrict usage, because that will depend on what the weather does and what rainfall happens between now and the summer.”
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