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Drought Plan

Droughts are natural events caused by a prolonged period of low rainfall, often over several months. As a statutory requirement, we update our Drought Plan every five years. Our existing Drought Plan (2022) covers the period up to 2027.

We have now published our new draft Drought Plan for 2027-2032. The draft plan sets out how we will continue to provide reliable water supplies during periods of drought, whilst protecting the environment across the 2027-2032 planning period, building on lessons learnt from previous droughts

We are currently reviewing all feedback on our draft Drought Plan received during our 11-week consultation window. We will then publish a Statement of Response, setting out any changes we have made to our draft Drought Plan, by 23 October 2026.

The Secretary of State will subsequently consider whether any directions should be issued before the Plan is finalised. We expect to publish our final Drought Plan in early 2027.