Lancashire has been moved out of drought status and into recovery after a period of wet weather.
The national drought group, which includes the Met Office, regulators, government, water companies, and other organisations, convened on Thursday, October 30, as autumn rainfall was deemed to be insufficient nationally to offset the exceptionally dry conditions of spring and summer.
However, the group has been able to ease shortages in two areas, Cumbria and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, with officials announcing they have moved out of drought status and into drought recovery status as of Thursday.
But the group also warned that the position is fragile, and with further dry weather, these areas could move back to drought.
Helen Wakeham, chair of the group, said: “The recent rain is very welcome, but it needs to be sustained over the next six months to ensure we are ready for next year.
“We need a lot more rain this winter to fill up our rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater.
“Even if it is wet outside, I urge people to use water as efficiently as possible to protect the environment and public water supplies.”
Households across the country are being asked to take water conservation measures, from turning off taps when they are not in use to fitting a water butt to capture rainfall.
All sectors – including water companies, agriculture, navigation, and energy – have also been told to start taking steps to increase their resilience for a prolonged drought.
Farmers have been urged to check their licences for abstracting water from rivers, speak to the Environment Agency if they are likely to need flexibility, look to increase reservoir storage and work with their neighbours to share water.
The measures come on top of hosepipe bans imposed by Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, South East Water and Southern Water in some areas, which will remain until their water resources situation recovers.
READ MORE: East Lancashire drought continues despite wetter weather
READ MORE: Hosepipe bans on the cards as East Lancs officially moved to 'drought' status
The national drought group praised the public for following these restrictions, saying it has kept more water in local rivers and lakes.
Ms Wakeham warned that as the impacts of global warming intensify, the country will have to prepare for more droughts in the coming years.
“Securing our water resources needs to be a national priority,” she said.
“We expect water companies to continue their water-saving messaging, even through the winter, as well as carry on reducing leaks.”
The Met Office declared the summer of 2025 the hottest since records began in 1884, while the spring was the driest in 132 years.
By October 28, provisional Met Office data showed England had only 61 per cent of its expected annual rainfall, when the country would normally have about 80 per cent at this time of the year.
For this time of year, reservoirs on average should be three-quarters full.
However, 41 per cent of reservoirs across England remain under half full.
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