The short version: if your abstraction licence lets you fill an irrigation reservoir over winter, you can start now instead of waiting for November. The Environment Agency published the change on 1 October, it runs to 31 October, and it comes with a list of conditions and two big exclusions. The rest of this article is where the drought stands and exactly what that change allows, with every figure from the official pages.
Where the drought stands
September was the sixth month this year with less rain than average. England as a whole had 65% of its long-term average, and the driest parts were the ones already in trouble: 52% in the east, 57% in the south east, 59% in central England and 69% in the south west. The north west was the exception, at 99%.
- Reservoirs: England's stocks are at 55%, which is 19.4% below average for the time of year (the Environment Agency would expect about 74.3%). Sixteen reservoirs are below half. Six are classed as exceptionally low: Ardingly, Chew Valley, Clatworthy, Dove Group, Hanningfield and Wimbleball. Ardingly is 23% full and Wimbleball 21%.
- Rivers: of the sites the Environment Agency reports on, 45% are below normal, 29% notably low and 13% exceptionally low. Only 13% are normal.
- Status: ten Environment Agency areas are in drought (East Anglia; Hertfordshire and North London; Thames; Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; West Midlands; Wessex; Kent and South London; Solent and South Downs; East Midlands; Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire). The four northern areas are in prolonged dry weather.
- Abstraction: there are now 767 restrictions on abstraction licences, up from 533, and formal Section 57 restrictions on spray irrigation in East Anglia until 31 October.
And the line that matters for next season: the Environment Agency says England needs 120% of average rainfall over the coming seven months for the whole country to be out of drought by spring. In its own words, "the drought is far from over."
So what changed on 1 October?
A winter abstraction licence normally lets you start filling a reservoir on 1 November. The Environment Agency's Regulatory Position Statement 382 says that, from 1 October to 31 October 2026 inclusive, it will not normally take enforcement action if you abstract outside your authorised period to fill an existing water storage reservoir, as long as you stay inside its conditions. It is not a change to your licence. It is the regulator saying in writing what it will not pursue, and it expires on 1 November 2026.
The conditions, as written
- You already hold a licence that authorises filling a reservoir for spray or trickle irrigation, and the reservoir already exists.
- You tell the Environment Agency before you start. Email rpsregistrations@environment-agency.gov.uk with "RPS 382" in the subject line, your licence number and the licence holder's name.
- You keep to the rate and daily volume on your licence, and to any hands-off flow or hands-off level condition. Every other condition on the licence still applies, including screening the intake.
- You keep a daily record of what you take, hold it for six years, and show it if the Environment Agency asks.
- You do not interfere with anybody else's protected right to abstract.
- The water taken under the statement is left out of your annual abstraction return, and there is no charge for using it.
Who is left out
Two groups of catchments, and they are not small ones:
- 18 catchments under spray irrigation restrictions (Section 57 of the Water Resources Act 1991), among them the Bure, Wensum, Yare, Waveney, Deben, Colne and Chelmer.
- The Principal Salmon River catchments, kept out to help fish stocks recover.
It also does nothing for a licence that already allows abstraction in October or all year round. The statement lists every excluded catchment by name, so that is the page to check before sending the email.
The second change, and the grant that is still to come
The same announcement says it is now simpler to apply for a longer-term abstraction licence. The press release gives no detail beyond that sentence, so we will not guess at it. If a longer licence is what you need, the Environment Agency's customer contact centre is on 03708 506 506.
The reservoir money is where it was in August. The government's £65 million drought package includes up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs through a new Water Management Grant round, expected in the autumn. As of 4 October we could not find that round open on GOV.UK. Our August article has what was announced, and we will email the day it opens.
Dates for the calendar
- Now to 31 October: the early-fill window under RPS 382.
- 31 October: the Section 57 spray irrigation restrictions in East Anglia are in place until this date.
- 1 November: RPS 382 expires and the normal winter abstraction season begins.
If you want to see how far behind your own ground is, our rainfall tracker shows recent rainfall at your postcode against the 1991–2020 normal. It is free and needs no account.
Sources
- GOV.UK — England's reservoirs continue to feel drought strain after sixth dry month of 2026 (2 October 2026)
- Environment Agency — Dry weather and drought in England: 25 September to 1 October 2026
- Environment Agency — Abstraction outside the authorised period for filling water storage reservoirs: RPS 382
- GOV.UK — Water abstraction: flexible options in exceptional dry weather
This is a summary, not advice. A regulatory position statement can be withdrawn or amended before it expires, so read RPS 382 itself and check your own licence conditions before you abstract.