Retail business market operator MOSL has published a new Drought Playbook to support MOSL, government and market stakeholders to respond to drought events.

The recent 2025 drought across England demonstrated the need for stronger information sharing and better coordination across the business water market, particularly when managing drought conditions and supporting trading parties to communicate restrictions to customers.

The playbook covers the following topics:

• Clear details on the information MOSL can supply during a drought, including confidence levels for each dataset.
• An overview of the key market participants involved in drought preparedness and response.
• A summary of usage restrictions and the potential impacts on businesses.
• Relevant market guidance, including market codes and reference documents related to drought.
• A process for wholesalers to share drought restriction levels centrally through MOSL.

The Playbook was submitted as part of evidence MOSL provided to the House of Lords Environment Committee’s inquiry into drought preparedness, where MOSL CEO, Sarah McMath, highlighted the importance of providing a centralised view of drought status and restriction levels for business customers.

The Playbook forms part of MOSL’s wider suite of water security resources, which includes its drought restriction dashboard and map. It also builds on the Key definitions related to water security resource that MOSL developed in 2025. The Playbook will be updated as required to reflect any changes to drought guidance or market codes.

Click here to download the Drought Playbook