Half of England is officially in drought, with July set to be the driest on record after winter floods, the Environment Agency has said. “A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife and the economy. Wednesday’s announcement means England has experienced drought in three of the past five years: 2022, 2025 and 2026. The Environment Agency said current water reserves “should be enough for the coming months until the next period of sustained rainfall”. In England, 40% of the population are under a hosepipe ban, with seven water companies – Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water and South West Water – all restricting water use.