Environment Secretary visits Havant Thicket Reservoir

The Environment Secretary, Dame Angela Eagle, visited the Havant Thicket Reservoir construction site in Hampshire on Thursday 3 September 2026, according to a news release published on GOV.UK on 4 September by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency.

What the release says about the reservoir

Havant Thicket sits in the countryside close to Rowlands Castle. The release describes it as the first new major reservoir to be built in the UK for more than 30 years. Portsmouth Water's chief executive, Bob Taylor, said it would play a vital role in protecting two of Hampshire's chalk rivers, and that once complete it will provide an additional 21 million litres of water a day.

Mr Taylor is quoted as saying: "We were delighted to show the Secretary of State the excellent progress we have made on site since the big build phase of construction started last Spring." The release does not give a completion date for the reservoir.

The drought backdrop

The visit took place as the National Drought Group reported continued low rainfall in August. The release says England is experiencing its third drought in five years, with more than 30 million people under water use restrictions, and that July 2026 was the driest July in 190 years. The Environment Agency's Director of Water, Helen Wakeham, said a few days of recent rain does not make up for an exceptionally dry summer and that groundwater levels and reservoir storage continue to decline. She asked everyone to keep using a little less water as autumn begins.

The release gives national figures rather than local ones, and does not set out any restrictions specific to Horndean or Rowlands Castle.

The full release is on GOV.UK. Readers can check their own water company's website for current advice on using water wisely.