Government accused of acting too slowly as drought covers 80% of England
MPs say the government has been too slow to act as 80% of England is in drought, affecting around 50 million people and hitting farmers and water supplies.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government is facing criticism for acting too slowly after drought was declared across about 80% of England. MPs raised concerns about the impact on farmers as the drought affects around 50 million people.
The southeast and southwest have had their driest April to September for more than a century. Parts of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, East and West Sussex have been declared as being in severe drought. The move followed concerns about low water levels at several reservoirs.
Farmers are struggling to adapt. One grower said yields were down 25% and onions were much smaller, leaving nothing under 50 mil sellable. Drought restrictions mean there is no guarantee he can draw more water, so he is seriously considering not planting fields this winter. 'What we need now is some consistent rain,' he said. Even grapevines planted to cope with climate change are withering. In the last five years, the country has had two wettest and three driest periods almost on record, forcing growers to adapt and invest.
Critics said the government had been slow to act. They said this was the third drought in five years and it should not have caught the government off guard. The planned response is a decade-long journey to a very different water system, including nine new major reservoirs.
While the UK struggles, southern Spain, which is technically a desert, grows much of the fruit and vegetables sold in UK supermarkets. Satellite images show plastic polytunnels covering an area twice the size of Manchester. In one of thousands of greenhouses, 110,000 kilograms of tomatoes can be grown each year, many of which end up in the UK. The plastic controls temperature, stops bugs and holds in moisture. Thin layers of soil need only a sixth of the water used by open fields.
With little rain, Spain also creates much of its supply through desalination. One plant takes seawater, filters it and uses high-pressure osmosis to produce enough tap water for 200,000 people. The power needed for a family's water production is compared to running a fridge, according to the plant's operator.
In the UK, there is just one desalination plant and it is currently closed for maintenance. Nine more are planned, but they will not be open for decades.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Around 80% of England was in drought, affecting about 50 million people, with severe drought in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, East and West Sussex. | |
| Critics said the government had been slow to act and that it was the third drought in five years. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV put the political row alongside the practical impact on farmers, with a grower describing smaller onions and a 25% fall in yield. It also widened the frame by comparing England's drought with southern Spain's desert farming, including polytunnels and desalination. The tone was urgent and explanatory, and it noted that the UK has one desalination plant closed while nine more are decades away.
- “The government was accused today of being too slow to act over this summer's drought, as MPs raised concerns over the impact on farmers.”
- “This is the third drought in five years. It should not have caught the government off guard.”
- “We've been 25% down on yield, but also we've been producing onions that are actually much smaller and so we're unable to sell anything under 50 mil.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.