Yorkshire officially entered drought status yesterday due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers. This follows the declaration of prolonged dry weather for the area at the end of July due to a lack of spring and summer rainfall.

The region joins all of central, southern and eastern England in drought status while the North East and North West remain in prolonged dry weather.

Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire Vicki Townend said:

“The Yorkshire area has had the 5th driest April to September on record. This ongoing lack of rainfall means the flow in rivers and groundwater levels in certain parts of our area are very low and have now reached our trigger for declaring a drought.

“Even if we receive a few weeks of rain, we cannot quickly reverse the effects of the lack of rainfall during a very dry spring and summer. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and implement our Yorkshire Drought Plan.

“As we see more impacts from climate change, heavier rainfall and drier summers will become more frequent. We encourage people to be aware of the impacts of drought and use a little less water to speed up the recovery from drought.”

Yorkshire Water not planning to introduce water restrictions for customers

Despite being moved into drought status, Yorkshire Watersaid it is not planning to introduce water restrictions for customers, thanks to extensive work to manage supplies, reduce leakage and move water around the region's network.

“Drought status reflects the prolonged dry conditions that have affected Yorkshire over recent months. It does not automatically mean water restrictions are required”.

Current reservoir stocks sit at 42.7%, below where they were at this point in 2025 (52.9%), due in part to the wetter weather in September 2025 which led to the largest ever increase in water resources in a week.

Groundwater in the Hull aquifer stands at 40% - the same as it was in early October 2025.

Andy Shaw, head of water production, treatment and energy at Yorkshire Water, said:

"Yorkshire has experienced an exceptionally hot and dry summer, and conditions have remained dry into September, with the region receiving just over half the normal long term average rainfall in Sept. This has placed continued pressure on reservoirs, groundwater sources and rivers across the region.

"The Environment Agency's decision to move Yorkshire into drought reflects these conditions, but it does not mean water restrictions are currently needed.

"Through careful management of our water resources, extensive work to reduce leakage and the operation of our regional water network, we are not planning to introduce water restrictions for customers at this time.

"Winter rainfall will be important in helping reservoir and groundwater levels recover, and we will continue to monitor conditions closely.

"Water demand remains unusually high for this time of year, so we are asking customers to continue using water wisely wherever possible. Small actions such as shorter showers, running full washing machine loads and checking for leaks at home can make a real difference.

"At the same time, our teams continue to work around the clock to reduce leakage, maximise water supplies and ensure homes and businesses across Yorkshire continue to receive the water they need."

Recent rainfall not enough

The UK’s climate is changing and the current drought now means there have been three in the past five years – 2022, 2025 and now 2026. New research has shown it would take 120% of long-term average rainfall over the next seven months for all areas in England to be considered out of drought.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

“The recent rainfall is not yet enough to replenish all the water we’ve used over the spring and summer, and the Yorkshire drought declaration highlights the situation is still serious.

“The Government is carefully monitoring the actions of all water companies, and expect them to follow their drought plans, quickly fix leaks, and reduce demand.”