The Environment Secretary visited Havant Thicket Reservoir in Hampshire to oversee the latest steps to deliver a water-resilient future, as the National Drought Group reported continued low rainfall.
DAME Angela Eagle made the visit as the Government accelerates work to build a water system “fit for the future” – with new infrastructure, tougher regulation and investment aimed at protecting families, farmers and the environment from worsening drought risk.
Havant Thicket is being developed by Portsmouth Water as part of efforts to secure long-term water supplies in south-east England, one of the country’s most water-stressed regions.
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The first new major reservoir to be built in the UK for more than 30 years, it will store water from the Bedhampton and Havant Springs during periods of high river flow and release it when needed. Once operational, it is expected to provide about 21 million litres of water a day, while also helping to protect Hampshire’s internationally important chalk rivers by reducing the need to abstract water directly from sensitive natural habitats.
It forms part of plans for 10 new reservoirs in England. Together, these schemes are expected to deliver about 700 million litres of additional water a day by 2050.
The director of water at the Environment Agency, Helen Wakeham, said: “A few days of recent rain does not make up for an exceptionally dry summer, and we have a very long way to go before the drought is considered over. Groundwater levels and reservoir storage continue to decline and will take many months to recover from this summer’s record heat and dry conditions. We have heard about the impacts of drought on our environment now, but we will be seeing the effects on bird populations, fish stocks, and wider ecosystems for years to come.
“In the long term, new infrastructure such as reservoirs will help but we also need measures to reduce demand, cut leakage, and support nature to make our rivers more resilient.
“As we enter autumn, we are still asking for everyone’s help in using a little less water. Every drop we save speeds up drought recovery and means more water for farmers, the environment, and our wildlife.”
England has experienced its third drought in five years, with more than 30 million people put under water restrictions during the summer’s heatwaves.
Dame Angela, who co-chairs the National Drought Group, said: “The water industry hasn’t been working in the public interest for far too long. It has failed consumers and left the country exposed as our climate changes and extreme weather becomes more frequent. That’s why we are fixing the system, so families aren’t left footing the bill for decades of underinvestment.
“We are not waiting for the next drought before we act. We are building a water system fit for the future, starting now.”
At the time of this issue going to press, 71.3% of England was currently in drought and more than 30 million people were under water use restrictions. July 2026 was the driest July in 190 years, and this summer has been declared England’s hottest on record.
July and August were dry months, with 10% and 78% of rainfall respectively. There are also large geographical differences; in July, the South East received 3% of average rainfall and 54% in August.
The dry weather has had a marked impact on soil moisture. A sustained period of rainfall is needed first to replenish soil stores of water before the onset of groundwater recharge is likely to occur, while recent intense rainfall resulted in surface water flooding as rain fell on hard soils.
Portsmouth Water CEO Bob Taylor said: “The challenges of drought have come sharply into focus for many people, in a way not seen since the drought of 1976.
“We were delighted to show the Secretary of State the excellent progress we have made on site since the big build phase of construction started last spring.”
What do you think?
TONY Weston, of NB Destiny, writes in to say: “With little hope of seeing new reservoirs in the foreseeable future, other solutions need investigation. One possibility is the canal network. The canals could act as a nationwide reservoir. A rough calculation, based on 2000 miles of canals, could result in the network storing an extra 85 million gallons for every inch dredged from the bottom. Some canals are badly silted up, so more could be dredged from these resulting in more capacity. It’s not a total solution, but it would help store more water during wet periods.”
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