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Environment & Climate

Severe drought declared across parts of southern England after dry months

Water companies must monitor reservoirs daily as Wimbleball and Ardingly run low.

Updated Oct 16, 2026 · 12:22 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • A severe drought has been declared across parts of southern England after months of low rainfall, following a meeting of the National Drought Group.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Named areas include parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex, where high demand followed the hottest summer on record has significantly affected supplies.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • The government says customer water supplies will be uninterrupted, while water companies must conduct daily reservoir and river monitoring.[BBC News]
  • Reservoir figures for Wimbleball and Ardingly differ between reports, and the customer count served by Ardingly is in conflict.[The Guardian · BBC News]

Key facts

  • A severe drought has been declared in parts of southern England after months of low rainfall.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • The declaration followed a meeting of the National Drought Group, which reviewed water resources and drought conditions across England.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Named areas include parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Supplies have been significantly affected by high demand following the hottest summer on record.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Wimbleball Reservoir is reported at 14.9% to 16% capacity, and Ardingly Reservoir at 19% to 19.4%.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • The government said the change to severe drought status was prompted by specific concerns for the Ardingly and Wimbleball reservoirs.[BBC News]
  • Ministers instructed water companies to conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and tougher water quality monitoring.[BBC News]
  • The Environment Agency will increase compliance checks on businesses that withdraw water from natural sources.[BBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • Reported customer counts for Ardingly conflict, with one outlet citing 280,000 customers and another citing about 95,000 properties.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Reservoir capacity figures for Wimbleball and Ardingly vary slightly between the two reports.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • The government's assurance that customer supplies will be uninterrupted is attributed to the government and is not independently confirmed in the reporting.[BBC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.