24 Nov 2025 Environment Agency publishes its winter reservoir refill prospects

The Environment Agency has based its prospects of winter reservoirs refilling on projected river flows for three different rainfall scenarios, 100, 80 and 60% of average.   With 100% of long term average (LTA) rainfall it’s expected that most irrigation reservoirs will refill using winter storage licences. If 80% of LTA rainfall is received in the winter the Environment Agency expects that Hands off flow restrictions will remain in force through to March 2026. Therefore, refill prospects are moderate across most of England. Under this scenario there is also an increased risk that Section 57 restrictions may be required in the spring across some areas of England, especially if groundwater and river flows are significantly lower than average. You can read the full prospect report on this page.