Drought: how it is managed in England

8.4.2026

  | Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs

 How the Environment Agency works with government, water companies and others to manage water resources during a drought in England. 


This document sets out:


the impacts of drought in England
who is involved in planning, managing and responding and how we work together
the actions we and others take to effectively manage droughts
how we report on drought and communicate with others
our role in recovery and learning from drought events

Related publications include:


Water situation reports for England
Water resources planning: managing supply and demand
Drought: how water companies plan for dry weather and drought
Water company drought plan guideline, 2025

Area drought plans
Environment Agency area drought plans are available on request from their National Customer Contact Centre.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drought-management-for-england