LONDON — August 5, 2026 — On 29 July 2026, the Environment Agency declared half of England officially in drought. Seven regions entered drought status: East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex.
July 2026 recorded only 7% of its long-term average rainfall across England, falling to just 1% in parts of southern England. Around 78% of England's rivers were classified as below normal or lower, and national reservoir storage fell to 72%, around 9.5% below the long-term average. Seven water companies imposed Temporary Use Bans affecting approximately 23 million customers, equivalent to around 40% of England's population.
The drought placed severe strain on water treatment infrastructure. Caustic soda flakes and pearls are widely used for pH adjustment, heavy metal precipitation, and effluent neutralization in municipal and industrial wastewater systems. With river flows at historic lows and abstraction licences restricted, water utilities relied more heavily on chemical treatment to maintain drinking water standards and to treat wastewater before discharge. The Environment Agency undertook 38 fish rescue operations and tightened controls on water abstraction.
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