Wales declares drought after record low river levels
Wales has become the first UK nation to officially declare a drought following record low river levels, as the ongoing heatwave and dry conditions continue to affect water supplies.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Wales has become the first part of the UK to officially declare a drought after weeks of hot, dry weather left river levels in north and mid-Wales at record lows. The declaration, made by Natural Resources Wales, applies to river catchments rather than drinking water supplies, but water companies say they are dealing with huge demand from customers while reservoirs are still coping.
The River Elwy at St Asaph, where sea trout and salmon would normally swim, is now so low that anglers are using thermometers to check if the warm, shallow water is killing fish. One angler, Chris, said: "61 years, I've never seen it this low. And that's really worrying. I mean thousands, thousands of small fish, millions of invertebrates will have died." The drought has also hit wildlife like kingfishers and dippers.
Farmers are struggling too. At this week's Royal Welsh Show, the lack of water is the main topic. One farmer said: "We're on well water and the well's dried up. And we've got one spring going. We've been carrying water up from the local town to help supply the cows. No, it's really getting really desperate for water now."
The forecast suggests Wales is on course for its driest July in almost two centuries. In some areas, less than 2% of the expected rainfall for the month has fallen so far. The public are being asked to use water wisely. A spokesperson said: "We can't make it rain, but what we can do is increase the awareness of what people can do to save water, use water wisely, be responsible."
Some rain is forecast for the weekend, but it is unlikely to be enough to shift the drought. The dry conditions are part of a wider pattern across Europe, where repeated heatwaves have fuelled wildfires in France, Spain, and Italy. Thousands of people have been evacuated in southwest France, including around 9,000 in the Gironde region. British tourists were among those told to leave campsites. In Spain, flames reached a community outside Madrid, and in Sicily, large areas of land have been scorched. This wildfire season is already one of the worst in the past 20 years for the area burned inside the European Union, and it is only halfway through the summer.
In the UK, the drought declaration follows a wet winter that replenished reservoirs and groundwater, but an exceptionally hot and dry spring and summer has drained supplies. About 23 million people in England now face hosepipe bans. Experts point out that England has not built a major new reservoir for more than 30 years, and that water companies need to reduce leaks and improve water transfers. Climate change is expected to make summers hotter and drier, intensifying drought conditions.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Climate change intensified the European drought by making conditions hotter. | |
| Multiple water companies have imposed or announced hosepipe bans, affecting over 20 million people. | |
| River levels in north and mid-Wales reached record lows. | |
| Some areas in Wales have received less than two percent of expected rainfall for July so far. | |
| Thousands of people were evacuated in southwest France due to wildfires. | |
| Wales became the first part of the UK to declare a drought after record low river levels. | |
| Wales is on course for its driest July in almost two centuries. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This broadcast focused on the local, on-the-ground impact of the drought in Wales, particularly on rivers, wildlife, and farmers. The tone was factual and concerned, using vivid imagery of the dried-up river and interviews with an angler and a farmer to illustrate the severity. It did not include broader context about UK water infrastructure or European wildfires.
- “61 years, I've never seen it this low. And that's really worrying. I mean thousands, thousands of small fish, millions of invertebrates will have died.”
- “We can't make it rain, but what we can do is increase the awareness of what people can do to save water, use water wisely, be responsible.”
This broadcast covered the same local drought story but then expanded into a broader analysis of why water shortages exist despite a wet winter, including the lack of new reservoirs and the role of climate change. It also linked the UK drought to the wider European heatwave and wildfire crisis, with reports from France, Spain, and Italy. The tone was explanatory and contextual, aiming to connect local events to larger trends.
- “So given the wet winter, why do we have water shortages now?”
- “England hasn't built a major new reservoir for more than 30 years.”
- “Climate change had not made Europe's lack of spring rains more likely, but it did intensify the heat.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.