Briefing · Summit Post
At the start of 2026, records were broken for the amount of rain to fall in Devon and Cornwall. By summer, the South West was declared as being in a drought, and now, in mid-October this has been escalated to severe drought in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. South West Water said water resources remained under "significant pressure", and there was "no significant rain forecast in the coming weeks".
Over December, January and February, Cornwall recorded its wettest winter in 190 years, with rain totals reaching about 150% of the long-term average. The weather station at Cardinham near Bodmin had 55 consecutive days of rain . Devon also had relentless rain, with the Met Office reporting the county received about 518.7mm during the winter season - 131% of the seasonal average.
By March, South West Water's reservoir storage levels were close to 100%. Rather than replenishing, reservoir levels have continued to fall to the point where on Thursday, the severe drought was declared. Wimbleball on Exmoor has dropped to 14.9% capacity .
Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said: "If you've got reservoirs that are running dry, there is obviously a problem." The latest figures from South West Water show its four other main reservoirs are also at low levels. In Devon, Roadford is at 36.8%, and Burrator is at 33.6% capacity. In Cornwall, Colliford is 35% full, with Stithians at 21.9% - the latter was recently declared as being too shallow for water sports.
In West Sussex, South East Water said Ardingly Reservoir had fallen below 20% capacity . The reservoir can hold 4,773 million litres of water - equivalent to approximately 1,880 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to the company. But the reservoir is now 19.4% full.
Earlier this month, South East Water updated hosepipe restrictions , external , and in September it was granted a drought permit , external by the Environment Agency, to keep more water in the reservoir. The agency would expect reservoir storage to be about 75% for this time of year. The Environment Agency said further dry weather was expected for the rest of October: "The usual seasonal rainfall has yet to arrive, and 82% of England remains in drought." In some areas, 120% of the expected rainfall was needed for the next six months or "drought conditions will continue and could worsen", it said.
Severe drought is the most serious level, and is declared "when evidence shows drought is causing, or will soon cause, serious harm, and that emergency action is needed to protect people, water supplies, the environment, farming, infrastructure or other critical services". The agency said: "Until enough rain brings recovery, we will not hesitate to take the action needed to protect water supplies. "We continue to monitor conditions closely, working with partners and the government to reduce the impact of severe drought to communities and the environment." Follow BBC Cornwall on X , external , Facebook , external and Instagram , external .
Follow BBC Devon on X , external , Facebook , external and Instagram , external . Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk , external .
Source: BBC
