Overview

• The Environment Agency classified England’s water scarcity as “of national significance” after finding reservoirs at about 67.7% capacity and nearly half of rivers below normal flow
• Five of the agency’s 14 regions are officially in drought, triggering localized bans on garden watering and other irrigation restrictions
• Farmers report significant crop losses as extreme dry conditions threaten harvests and drive up concerns over food prices
• Public conservation appeals now include unusual steps to reduce data-centre cooling demand, such as deleting old emails and images to cut digital storage loads
• Water Minister Emma Hardy warns of escalating scarcity over the next decade and has announced plans to build new reservoirs for long-term supply resilience