- Environment Agency moves to drought status for South East
Water's area of supply in Sussex
- Status reflects South East Water's public water supply
concerns
- Public urged to help with efforts to boost supplies by using
water wisely
Drought has been declared in Sussex for the area supplied by
South East Water due to declining water levels at Ardingly
Reservoir.
The Environment Agency has changed the status of the areas around
Haywards Heath and Eastbourne to drought today (10 October 2025).
Hampshire, Isle of Wight, and the rest of Sussex and Surrey
remain in prolonged dry weather status.
Each drought is different, and they can be classed as
environmental, agricultural, or public water supply
drought. The move in parts of Sussex is because the hot and
dry weather has impacted availability of supplies, and further
action is required to conserve them.
Moving to drought status means the Environment Agency and water
companies will continue implementing the steps of their
pre-agreed drought plans to manage the impacts.
The change in status reflects the decline in water levels at
Ardingly Reservoir, near Haywards Heath, and South East Water's
drought order application today to help conserve the reservoir's
remaining water.
Ardingly Reservoir's water level has rapidly dropped since June
and is currently at 27.6% total capacity. The low reservoir level
has been driven by the combination of a dry spring and early
summer and higher temperatures associated with climate warming,
which has driven very high demands.
Defra and the Secretary of State will determine the drought order
application and the Environment Agency, as a regulator, will
provide technical advice assessing the needs of the people and
the environment.
The Environment Agency is working closely with South East Water
to ensure it is delivering appropriate actions within its drought
plan. Exemptions have been removed from the company's hosepipe
ban which will remain in place until water supply is secured. All
customers are urged to continue following water-saving
advice.
This part of Sussex adds to other areas that entered drought
status earlier this year - Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire,
Greater Manchester Merseyside and Cheshire, East Midlands, and
the West Midlands. Some parts of the country have seen an
improvement or stabilisation in the water resources following the
wet September, but experts have warned it will take a wet autumn
and winter to reverse the impacts of several continuous months of
below average rainfall. It can take a long time for rainfall to
fully replenish groundwaters, reservoirs and rivers; and the
environment can take even longer to recover.
Richard O'Callaghan, Area Environment Manager at the Environment
Agency said:
Autumn and winter may feel like there is an excess of water at
hand, but the climate is changing, and we must be sensible about
water use all the time, not just some of the time. A few bursts
of recent rainfall do not undo several dry months of cumulative
impact.
It will take sustained rainfall to address prolonged dry weather
and replenish reservoirs and rivers. Everyone can help speed that
up by being sensible with their water use.
The Environment Agency continues to monitor river flows and is
contacting those with licences to abstract water to reduce demand
in line with their licences.
The National Drought Group - which includes the Met Office,
government, regulators, water companies, the National Farmers'
Union, Canal & River Trust, anglers, and conservation experts
– continues to monitor the situation and will next meet on 30
October.
There are simple ways people can help save water, including
taking shorter showers, using water from the kitchen to water
plants, and fixing leaky toilets.
