Seven areas of England have been officially declared to be in a state of drought following a hot and dry summer, according to the Environment Agency.
July recorded only 7% of its expected rainfall, with southern England experiencing just 1% of normal precipitation levels. The affected regions include East Anglia, Hertfordshire, London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex, which covers Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and south Gloucestershire.
Helen Wakeham, director of water at the Environment Agency and chair of the National Drought Group, stated that the current weather conditions are causing water to be used at a rate faster than nature can replenish it. This declaration signifies a significant impact on water availability in these parts of the country.