A House of Lords report has called for urgent action to improve the nation's drought resilience, including measures to help agriculture adapt to more frequent dry spells and tighter water restrictions.

The Environment and Climate Change Committee’s report Surviving Drought: Reclaim the Rain, highlights particular risks facing East Anglia.

Farmers in the region rely heavily on groundwater, and are already experiencing the impacts of longer, drier summers and unpredictable rainfall, made worse by climate change.

The report was published in response to a formal inquiry launched in late 2025, following the driest spring for more than a century.

The 2025 drought left rivers and reservoirs severely depleted and prompted warnings of possible water shortages for homes, businesses and food producers.

Future droughts could threaten food production unless farms are given help to adap to the changing climate (Image: Angela Sharpe)

James Beamish, director at the Holkham Farming Company in north Norfolk, gave evidence to the committee.

He said rainfall events in East Anglia have become increasingly volatile and that this has been matched........

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