Here’s the latest situation (as of January 2026) on UK water reservoir levels

primarily based on the most recent data available from water companies and Government reports:

🇬🇧 General UK Wide Situation

Many reservoirs across England remain below typical winter levels even after recent rainfall and wetter conditions than earlier in the drought year.

Across England as a whole, reservoir stocks were considerably below average throughout much of 2025, though with some recovery in places after rainfall.

📍 Regional / Company-Level Data

South East Water (Kent & Sussex)

As of 11 January 2026, two of their major reservoirs were not yet full but fairly high:
• Ardingly Reservoir ~ 86.3% full
• Arlington Reservoir ~ 80.1% full
— These are typical winter refill levels but still below 100 % capacity.

Severn Trent Water Region (Midlands/Lots of Central England samples available)

Winter figures from December 2025 show overall storage at about 84.7% of capacity — that’s a big improvement over late-summer lows but still not completely full.

📊 Context: Recent Trends

Throughout 2025, reservoirs in many parts of England were well below what’s normal for the time of year — sometimes as low as around 50-60 % capacity by autumn.

Even with rainfall later in the year helping, many reservoir stocks have simply not fully recovered to their long-term winter averages.

🌦️ Current Picture in Summary

✅ Many reservoirs have filled up significantly over autumn/winter rains.
❌ Most are still not completely full (i.e., below 100 % capacity).
⚠️ Levels remain below long-term averages, especially in parts of southern and eastern England, and ongoing winter rain will determine how full they get heading into spring.

🔎 Why They’re Not Fully Full Yet

Reservoir refill doesn’t just depend on rainfall — it also depends on river flows and how dry the ground was from drought earlier in 2025. So even with rain, the recovery can be slow.

Posted By: Tombs, Jan 15, 11:08:43