Drought was declared as a reduction in reservoir levels in northwestern England.

The Environment Agency said that while this is a problem for the water company, the company has been directed to follow its drought plan.

Much of the rest of the country is in prolonged dryness, a step ahead of the drought, and no heavy rainfall may follow the northwest.

England recorded the driest period between February and April, despite recent rainfall, river flows nationwide are very low and reservoir levels are declining.

United Utility has particularly low reservoir levels: its Carlisle reservoir was 46.4%, compared with 92.5% this time last year. Haweswater and Thirlmere reservoirs were 47.5%, compared with 94.8% last year. These are reservoirs serving areas including Cumbria and Manchester in arid areas.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "Northwestern England has entered a drought due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers. No other part of England is drought and we continue to monitor the situation closely."

Climate rupture will make drought more likely, scientists say, as rainfall becomes increasingly unpredictable.

Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, said: "The lack of rainfall in the UK in spring 2025 constitutes a meteorological drought, which quickly depletes the soil's moisture and leads to concerns about agricultural droughts. Reducing river and reservoir levels is harmful to the UK's northwest, as supply may become a supply of water.

“Warming due to the atmosphere’s desire for water, droughts are expected to begin faster and become more intense. A warmer climate means moisture is more likely to flood from one area and blow into storm systems elsewhere, exacerbating wet and dry weather extremes, as the dangers grow in between them.

For more than 30 years, no major reservoirs have been built in England, but the government has announced that it has approved the start of construction of the two.

The Guardian recently reported that to avoid drought, rainfall was needed at the last level in 2012, when record-breaking delug insects caused flooding across the country. This looks unlikely, it is hot, it is hot.