Britain has experienced its driest July since 1935. Only 35 per cent of average rainfall has fallen and several heat records have been broken in the country.
And the heat continues. In the coming days, authorities have issued warnings of extreme heat in parts of England and Wales, with temperatures expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius.
It is very dry in the fields. During Friday, a national group for drought, the National Drought Group, meets, and the government is expected to make a decision later on whether to officially declare a drought in the country. What determines the decision is what the access to water looks like, states BBC News.
Stricter measures
If a drought is officially declared, the water companies can take stricter measures to save water.
Several parts of the country have already introduced irrigation bans, reports Sky News. Last in line is Yorkshire, where for the first time in 27 years Yorkshire Water will ban its residents from, for example, watering their gardens or filling their pools with a hose.
– The hot and dry weather means water levels in Yorkshire’s rivers are low and our reservoirs are around 20 per cent lower than we usually have at this time of year, Yorkshire Water director Neil Dews told Reuters.
More irrigation bans
Irrigation bans may also be in the works in London and the Thames Valley.
– We have to wait and see what the government says and exactly what it means. I don’t know, we will of course consider it, a representative of the water company Thames Valley told BBC Breakfast.
Risk of fires
There are also warnings about “exceptional” risk of fires during the weekend. Some supermarkets are removing disposable grills from the shelves, according to BBC News.
Scientists say Britain’s record-breaking heat this summer would have been impossible without climate change.