Why do parts of England and Wales keep falling into drought?
Large parts of England and Wales have been declared in drought, marking the third such event in five years. Despite winter rainfall, the country faces challenges with water availability, impacting farming, wildlife, and public infrastructure.
Why it matters
Frequent droughts in temperate regions underscore the growing impact of climate change on water security and infrastructure resilience.
Image source, Mike Kemp/Getty Images By Esme Stallard Senior climate and science reporter Published 20 minutes ago More than half of England and the whole of Wales has been declared to be in drought this week - the third such event over the past five years.
Farmers have described suffering from reduced yields and being forced to harvest earlier, and field fires increasing.
The drought comes despite winter bringing above average rainfall, and reservoirs still close to expected levels for this time of year.
So why are parts of the country struggling to get hold of water?
There is no single definition of drought, according to the Environment Agency (EA), it depends on who is impacted, the availability of water and its use.
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