The National Drought Group has met to discuss preparing for future droughts.
England's drought-hit areas are beginning to heal following recent wet weather. November saw 149 per cent of the long-term average rainfall, which did help drought recovery, but also brought flooding.
At the meeting, attendees heard how there were geographical differences in November rainfall. The East Midlands saw 218 per cent of rain (the wettest since 1871) and the West Midlands 185% (the wettest since 1970). This means that after 21 weeks in drought, the East and West Midlands have now moved out of drought status and into recovery.
The North West was the first area to declare drought status and it now out of recovery stage and back to normal.
Yorkshire declared drought in June and is showing good signs of recovery.
The parts of Sussex served by South East Water remain in drought.
Public water supply reservoir levels are now 79.8 per cent full, only slightly below the 81.9 per cent expected for this time of year.
The National Drought Group heard how the latest science is being used to better protect England against future water shortages.
The Environment Agency is working with The Alan Turing Institute, looking at how the latest river flow modelling could be used to pinpoint how much water we have and identify the early signs of drought.
At the meeting, the Environment Agency’s Chief Scientist, Robert Bradburne explained how technology can help build resilience to extreme weather. The latest modelling tools alongside insights on customer use are helping to forensically examine the water system. The helps teams to understand how much water can be safely taken out of the environment, plus the types of infrastructure projects that might be needed in future.
Meanwhile, water companies are developing their own methods to use water more efficiently – such as using AI to detect leaks.
At the meeting, all attendees agreed to work more closely together to pool research, innovation, and data-driven insights.
National Drought Group chair and Director of Water at the Environment Agency, Helen Wakeham, said: "The recent rain has helped some of our depleted rivers and reservoirs, but we are not out of the woods yet.
"The spring was exceptionally dry and the summer very hot. Therefore, I would urge people to carry on using water as efficiently as possible – particularly while our environment recovers from the impacts of the recent drought.
"We are using the latest science to understand drought and to help us prepare for what still could be a difficult 2026. In the meantime, we expect water companies to carry on quickly fixing burst pipes and leaks throughout the winter, and to continue to follow their drought plans."
Environment Agency Chief Scientist and Director of the Chief Scientist’s Group, Dr Robert Bradburne, said: "Droughts are becoming more complex to analyse as the climate and society’s demand for water changes. Today we took an important step in tackling this complexity head-on.
"This agreement to work more closely with water companies on advanced tools, such as AI, will greatly enhance our scientific capabilities.
"This will lead to better forecasts and more decisive and well-evidenced responses to drought."
