Energy & Climate
Unequal support for flooding victims
New report highlights funding for England’s flood protections often prioritises areas with higher value homes.
14 October 2025
Britain has just endured a year of weather extremes that pushed nature to its limits, putting wildlife and landscapes under severe pressure.
Bookended by storms Éowyn and Bram, 2025 delivered a sun-soaked spring and the hottest summer on record, followed by autumn floods. This rollercoaster of conditions has tested nature’s resilience like never before.
The year began with a mild, wet winter punctuated by severe storms but soon swung into the warmest and sunniest spring on record.
This escalated into a record-breaking summer of heat and drought before ending with bursts of autumn and winter rain, storms and flooding.
These extremes left many habitats vulnerable. Smaller streams ran dry, and rivers and reservoirs fell to perilously low levels while baked landscapes contributed to the UK’s worst fire season.
‘Heat, drought and fire are the defining headlines of 2025. In just two years we’ve lurched from a very wet period to record-breaking heat and dryness that put our countryside on red alert. Fires on moors, heaths and in forests have decimated vegetation and the biodiversity these systems support.
‘Extremes in weather is nothing new, but it’s the compounded impact of several drought years in a short period – 2018, 2022 and now 2025 – which is putting untold strain on habitats and making life even more difficult for UK wildlife. These are alarm signals we cannot ignore, and we need to work faster, smarter and in a more joined-up way.
‘But there is hope: where we’ve restored rivers, wetlands and peatlands, nature has shown remarkable resilience. Beaver pools stayed wet and lush, fish and amphibians found refuge, and new wetland projects thrived even in the drought. If we scale up these efforts, we can give wildlife and landscapes the lifeline they need.’
BEN MCCARTHY
Head of Nature Conservation at the National Trust
January brought destructive winds with Storm Éowyn resulting in the worst storm damage in decades in Northern Ireland, toppling tens of thousands of trees from Crom in Fermanagh to Mount Stewart in the Ards Penninsula.
February brought exceptional rainfall, including 106.4mm in East Anglia – 248% above average – making it one of the wettest months on record, before the weather flipped dramatically.
From March to May, the UK basked in its sunniest, warmest spring ever – 1.4°C above the norm.
These conditions set the stage for water shortages and early warnings of drought; marine heatwaves added to the strain, pushing sea temperatures up by 4°C.
Summer was even more punishing with four heatwaves, a peak of 35.8°C in Kent, and rainfall at just 42% of normal in southern England.
By August, drought gripped large areas despite isolated storms, and tinderbox conditions sparked Britain’s worst fire season on record – over 47,000 hectares burned – including major blazes at National Trust sites such as Marsden Moor in Yorkshire, Holt Heath in Dorset and Abergwesyn Common in Wales.
Autumn brought a sharp reversal. September was wet and stormy and in October, Storm Amy dumped 104mm of rain in 24 hours in Cumbria.
By November, Storm Claudia had triggered 42 flood warnings across England and Wales, and storm Bram capped the year with a month’s worth of rain on Dartmoor in just 48 hours – a stark reminder of Britain’s increasingly volatile climate.
‘The drought of 2025 ranks among the most severe since 1976. Hosepipe bans and drought orders were widespread, wildlife struggled and farmers saw crop yields fall and poor grass growth. At some National Trust places, streams dried up and ponds dropped so low that fish died.
‘These extremes – driest spring, hottest summer – are no longer rare events. They’re becoming the new normal. But practical action makes a difference. Through our work with University College London, we have learnt that data isn’t the driver to making changes. Instead, it’s taking action that can lead to more action, particularly when it’s simple, relatable things such as planting a more diverse variety of trees into woodlands, gardens and parklands to create more complexity to help build resilience.
‘For example, we’re planting more drought-tolerant trees like hornbeam in Eryri and improving soil health in our gardens to hold more water. By creating landscapes that store water and cope with heat, we can help nature adapt to a changing climate.’
KEITH JONES
National Trust consultant on climate change
The largest fire on National Trust land this year broke out on Abergwesyn Common in Powys, Mid Wales, in April.
It burned across 5,365 hectares of peatland, including 1,600 hectares under the Trust’s care – an area 400 times the size of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The blaze destroyed peat that was being painstakingly restored to lock in carbon and water, reversing years of conservation work.
Started deliberately and exacerbated by the impacts of the dry spring on the vegetation, flames at times stretched along a five-mile front, destroying habitats for small mammals, reptiles and birds, including the last known breeding grounds of golden plovers, a rare upland species, in the area.
Other species affected included meadow pipit, skylark, raven, red kite, common lizard, common frog, field vole and rare dragonflies such as the black darter. Rangers warned the ecological damage will be felt for decades.
Peatlands that had been restored to lock in carbon and water were scorched, reversing years of conservation work. The fire released vast amounts of CO₂ and left bogs vulnerable to erosion.
Eight months on, new vegetation masks the damage, but rangers estimate that where the fire took hold, the blaze destroyed around 20 years of peat accumulation. Recovery will require sustained effort and careful grazing management to restore resilience and biodiversity.
‘The sheer scale of the fire is hard to fathom. Whole ecosystems were decimated. As peat has a recovery rate of around 1mm a year, it will take years for these precious peatlands to reform. Without careful management, regrowth of invasive Molinia, or purple moor grass – which grows faster than other vegetation – will only fuel future fires and further impoverish the land.
‘But we remain focused and committed which brings hope. We’ve already begun planning targeted restoration to rebuild peat and biodiversity, and past experience shows that with the right grazing and habitat work, these landscapes can recover and become more resilient than before.’
CHRIS SMITH
Countryside manager for the National Trust in Mid and South Wales
Low rainfall left streams and ponds perilously low or dry at several National Trust places.
At Fountains Abbey, water levels dropped and suffocating pond weed flourished, forcing teams to clear vegetation to keep the River Skell flowing and oxygen levels safe for wildlife.
At Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, breeding ponds for great crested newts dried up, impacting young, and at Chirk Castle in Wrexham two of the ponds dried up completely.
Rangers at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire had to aerate the Great Pond in July when low water levels combined with rapid cold stormwater saw oxygen levels crash resulting in fish deaths, while Studland’s Little Sea inland lake in Purbeck hit its lowest level since monitoring began, with many shallow pools disappearing entirely.
This autumn, blue-green algae appeared at Portstewart Strand in Northern Ireland. This growing challenge is being fuelled by warmer waters and nutrient runoff.
However, there was also encouraging news at locations where the charity has rolled out a programme of significant river restoration work since 2018.
The River Aller’s Stage-0 on the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor has created a lush wetland oasis that held good amounts of water. Species including water voles and many bird species benefited, and great white egrets, big flocks of gold finches, swifts and house martens were able to thrive during this year’s drought. There was also evidence of harvest mice in the longer grassy areas.
Beaver wetlands also proved their worth, with otters and kingfishers doing well at Holnicote, and the pools created by beavers at Wallington in Northumberland retained water with fish and amphibians finding refuge. Four beaver kits were also born.
At Conwy in north Wales, a project to restore a section of the Afon Machno saw the reconnected floodplain continuing to mature into a vibrant wetland, supporting species such as sandpipers, dippers, kingfishers, frogs, newts, bats, otters and water voles.
The new channels and scrapes mean that water is held on parts of the floodplain for longer, and insects are once again abundant where the wetland habitat has been restored.
Extreme weather continued to place unprecedented strain on trees. Newly planted saplings at National Trust places suffered losses of up to 40% – far above the expected 10–15% factored in each year – while mature trees showed stress through early leaf loss, limb drop and reduced canopy colour.
Oaks, already threatened by acute oak decline, are less able to withstand repeated dry years, particularly in the Midlands and East where rainfall is lowest.
The Trust is trialling earlier winter planting, mulches and natural regeneration and colonisation to improve survival.
‘Both heavy rainfall and drought over the past two years have made it harder for young trees to establish.
‘Planting earlier in the winter and using mulches can give saplings a better chance of bedding in before spring leaf growth. Natural regeneration and colonisation also offer a solution – young saplings invest in their roots immediately and are potentially more likely to survive a summer drought than a sapling that might have had its roots damaged when planted.
‘The effects of prolonged periods of heat on mature trees are slower to reveal themselves, but the risks are mounting. Drought weakens trees over time, leaving them vulnerable to disease. The legacy of past droughts and climatic events, like the drought in 1976 or the storm in 1987, are still visible today.’
JOHN DEAKIN
Head of Trees & Woodlands at the National Trust
Across the country, heat stress due to the drought caused early leaf loss, limb drop and reduced canopy colour.
Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff was one of many places to experience a ‘false autumn’, with katsura trees turning yellow and releasing their burnt sugar scent seven weeks early.
‘We’ve had three droughts in four years at Dyffryn. Each year it takes more for plants to recover, and the stress is mounting.’
CHRIS FLYNN
Head gardener at Dyffryn Gardens
The hot and dry spring and summer proved challenging for farmers across the country. Many arable farmers reported smaller yields and a reduction in quality, with analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit estimating a loss to farmers of £800m and describing it as the second-worst harvest since 1984.
For some livestock farmers, it became a struggle to feed their animals. With limited grass growth many had to fall back on using silage/haylage stores earlier than normal, resulting in many having to buy in winter feed at additional expense.
At Wimpole, the National Trust’s in-hand organic mixed farm in Cambridgeshire, crops did better than in 2024 when it was very wet, despite the dry conditions.
Yields were about average, but the quality was really good. However, forage production was difficult: grass and wildflowers barely grew and as soon as rain hit, the plants ‘bolted’ and set seed rather than growing.
Silage ran out during spring, due to the delays to the first cut , and in summer, livestock had to be fed with last year’s hay. As farm manager Dave Hassall explains: ‘These are things we would never normally do but we’ve ended up doing twice in four years as the impact of climate change takes hold.’
It was a different picture at Hafod y Llan, the Trust’s in-hand upland farm on the slopes of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), where staff reported a ‘near perfect year’.
While the rest of the country baked in the heat with little or no rain, periodic showers and mountain drizzle continued to fall on the farm.
Lambing went without a hitch, and according to farm manager Arwyn Owen, the silage/hay harvest was the easiest he can remember in the two decades he’s been at the farm. But late in the year floods hit; on 01 December, 5.5 inches of rain fell in 18 hours.
The mild, wet autumn triggered a second flush for a range of plants. At Newark Park in Gloucestershire, staff noticed woodland holly flowering in November, while rangers in the Tyne Valley reported the spring-flowering marsh marigold in bloom. In the White Peak in the Peak District in Derbyshire the summer flowering harebell was spotted blooming in November.
Other unusual sights included apple trees blossoming in Nottinghamshire and Herefordshire in September and October respectively, and roses at Mottisfont in Hampshire in bloom in December.
‘The roses don’t know what season it is’, commented senior gardener Michael Howard.
Rebecca Bevan, National Trusts’s national specialist for environmental horticulture, explained: ‘A lot of our garden plants are from different climates and so will often try reflowering when conditions are right. If this has felt especially noticeable this year, it will be because many plants – especially roses – stopped flowering early due to the dry. Later, the wet, warm conditions triggered them to flower more, which may have provided a bit of late nectar for pollinating insects.’
Some animals appeared to be out of sync with the seasons, too. Bats and brimstone butterflies were still on the wing in November in Suffolk, while jackdaws, hooded crows and rooks were flocking and rebuilding their rookeries at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland many months early.
‘Blooming apple trees and brimstone butterflies in November are yet more snapshots of the topsy-turvy seasons we’re now experiencing on an almost yearly basis. Climate change is driving these milder, wetter autumns, which throw wildlife out of sync. Our generalist species may be able to adapt to an extent, but the specialists will not – and that provides a threat for some of our most precious wildlife.’
BEN MCCARTHY
National Trust’s head of nature conservation
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