Climate
Severe drought declared across six areas of southern England
October 15, 2026 at 01:28 PM
Coverage
3 reports · 1 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 2 hours
يواليوم السابع
بريطانيا تعلن جفاف 75% من إنجلترا وويلز.. وتحذيرات من أزمة غذاء قريبة
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TGThe Guardian
Severe drought declared in six areas of England as public water supplies under threat
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BNBBC News
Severe drought declared in parts of southern England
(opens the publisher’s site)The Environment Agency has declared a severe drought across six areas of southern England threatening public water supplies.
- The Environment Agency has declared severe drought in the six areas after the driest April–September in over a century.
- Reservoir levels are critically low, with Ardingly at 19 percent and Wimbleball at 16 percent capacity.
- Water minister Emma Hardy has instructed the agency to prioritise public water supplies where environmental rules conflict.
- Environment secretary Angela Eagle urged households to use water wisely but has not approved companies' requests for non-essential use bans.
- The Environment Agency named Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and parts of East and West Sussex as drought-hit areas.
- The drought spans roughly three-quarters of England and Wales, affecting 27 million households.
- Farmers warned Britain could face food shortages within months due to delayed crop planting.