England's Water Crisis: The Drought that Should Have Been Avoided The news that Thames Water has joined the growing list of water companies imposing hosepipe bans on millions of customers across England and Wales comes as no surprise.
Months of hot, dry weather have taken a devastating toll on water supplies, particularly in the south and southeast where rainfall has been severely depleted.
According to the National Drought Group (NDG), eight areas are now classified as "prolonged dry weather" – a stage before full blown drought takes hold.