England’s taps could run dry unless ministers take urgent action to store, manage and reuse water more effectively, a House of Lords committee has warned.
Baroness Sheehan, Chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, said: “Climate change is increasing the risk of drought through a combination of hotter summers and heavier winter rains making the capture and storage of rainwater increasingly important.”
She added: “The experience of the 2025 drought sent a warning signal to the water and drought management system. We have already had a dry start to this spring, so it is critical that action is taken now to prepare for serious drought conditions, particularly as we enter a reported El Niño year.”
The cross-party committee’s report, Surviving drought: reclaim the rain, warns England’s water supply is under growing pressure from climate change, population growth, leakage and water-intensive industries.
It says England is not short of rain but is failing to capture, store and reuse it properly.
Peers warn that without action, drought could threaten the systems households, businesses, farmers and nature depend on.
The report says public water demand could exceed supply by five billion litres every day by 2055, equivalent to around 2,000 Olympic swimming pools.
The committee is calling for better drought data, stronger monitoring and a full assessment of the environmental and economic cost of inaction.
It also wants a whole-society approach to water resilience, including public awareness campaigns, tougher water efficiency standards in homes, more rainwater harvesting and greater reuse of water.
Peers say ministers should make it easier to build local resource reservoirs for farms, golf courses and other appropriate sites.
They also want more flexibility around abstraction licensing so catchment-based water projects can be delivered more easily.
The report calls for the government to publish an emergency drought prioritisation plan no later than autumn 2026.
It also urges wider use of nature-based solutions in urban and rural areas to help manage both drought and flooding.
Baroness Sheehan said: “As a result, serious thought, planning and investment must go into managing the environmental and economic threats that drought poses to England.”
She added: “Water is the foundation of life itself. the Government must act now to secure England’s most vital resource for the future and work with the public to ensure the taps don’t run dry.”
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