Public consultation on Draft Drought Plan 2027 opens 18 May 2026

United Utilities has published its draft Drought Plan 2027 for public consultation, with the consultation period running from 18 May 2026 to 2 August 2026¹. The company supplies drinking water to around eight million people and over 200,000 businesses in the North West of England¹. The plan sets out how it will manage water supplies during prolonged periods of dry weather and drought, rather than short term heatwaves, while protecting the environment¹.

The current plan was published in 2022 and covers 2022 to 2027. The next plan is due to be published in 2027 and will cover 2027 to 2032¹. United Utilities says it updates its Drought Plan every five years in accordance with industry guidance and in consultation with customers, stakeholders and regulators including Defra, Ofwat and the Environment Agency¹. The draft includes lessons from dry weather in 2022 and 2025; the company says differences in how the Pennines are affected during droughts have highlighted the need for a more tailored approach in that area¹.

The supply area covers 13,800 km2 and is divided into four resource zones¹:

The Barepot zone supplies non-potable water for industry from a river source¹. North Eden draws mainly on groundwater, with a small amount imported from Northumbrian Water¹. United Utilities owns and operates over 100 water supply reservoirs, lakes, river and stream abstraction points, and numerous groundwater sources¹.

Indicators the company monitors for drought conditions include rainfall significantly below average, soil moisture much lower than average for three months or longer, and reservoir levels lower than normal and declining rapidly each week, or not refilling enough during winter¹.

Anglian Water has also published a customer and stakeholder summary for its own draft Drought Plan 2027, dated May 2026, which states that public consultation on its updated plan runs May to July 2026, with the final plan to be published following Defra approval in 2027². It says this is its seventh plan since 2000². Its summary describes temporary use bans (TUBs), stating that full use has to be made of TUBs before the company can apply for any Drought Order, and that it must demonstrate a serious or imminent risk to public water supplies². It adds that a TUB will not impact essential agricultural, commercial or horticultural uses².

Why it matters for households

For households in the North West, the consultation is the point at which the company's approach to drought, including the actions it may take at each stage of a developing drought, is open to comment. United Utilities states that at all stages it will engage with customers, provide the latest information on reservoir levels and offer tips on how to use less water¹. Its plan describes actions from normal operation through to level 4, when reservoirs are below their normal minimum operating levels¹. The draft does not set out in the summary what restrictions households would face; those details sit in the main plan and technical reports¹. Anglian Water's summary sets out what a temporary use ban would prohibit for its customers, noting that the listed activities can still be done using a watering can or bucket filled by hand, greywater, or water from a rain butt². Neither company's summary reports any restrictions currently in force.

What happens next

United Utilities says that following the consultation period it will consider all responses and update its Drought Plan 2027 where appropriate¹. Its timeline shows a statement of response published in autumn 2026 and the final drought plan published in spring 2027¹. Anglian Water's summary gives a statement of response in October 2026 and a final plan following Defra approval in 2027². Further detail on how water company plans are consulted on is set out in the guide to water company drought plans, and on restrictions in the guide to drought permits, orders and emergency rota cuts.