UK heatwave – live: Drought declared across large part of England

Here are the highest temperatures from yesterday across the UK.

Thermometers reached 31.8C at Wiggonholt, in West Sussex, and Monmouthshire, Wales, while Scotland saw a peak of 28.8C at Fyvie Castle, in Aberdeenshire. Northern Ireland reached 28.1C at Stormont Castle, in County Down.

Here is the contrast with today:

The Met Office said there could be a “thundery breakdown” to the hot weather on Monday, although it is so far uncertain which areas could see rain.

Our environment correspondent Harry Cockburn has this report on an experiment showing how dry, parched ground makes flash flooding more likely:

Dramatic new images show dangerously low water levels in many of Europe’s rivers as more than half of the continent is at risk of drought due to the ongoing heatwave.

A European Commission analysis of the prolonged drought shows that a staggering 44 per cent of countries in the EU and the UK are “exposed” to a drought warning, while 9 per cent of EU and the UK face a more serious drought “alert”.

Samuel Webb has more details on the situation in this report:

Earlier today, the government’s former chief scientific adviser Sir David King said he believed that the extreme weather events currently occuring in Europe were being driven ice melting in the Arctic circle region “much more rapidly than predicted”.

Now a new study has found that the Arctic as a whole has warmed much faster in the past four decades than previously thought - with the region heating four times more quickly than the rest of the world.

Our climate reporter Ethan Freedman has more details in this report:

A village of 800 people in Spain can only get water for four hours a day as Europe continues to swelter under a heatwave, Samuel Webb reports.

The unprecedented temperatures scouring the continent have caused the taps in Bonastre, just south of Barcelona, to run dry as almost 50 per cent of the continent is under a drought warning.

Residents only have access to water from 7am to 10am and 8pm to 11pm each day, reports Euronews.

Already heralded as playing a highly effective role in reducing flood risks, the return of beavers to the UK is also demonstrating how the species protect environments from the impacts of hot, dry weather.

With another heatwave in Britain and millions of people subject to hosepipe bans, the National Trust has warned the record dry spell is taking a heavy toll on the landscapes, watercourses, plants and animals across its estates.

But one area where the impacts have been considerably reduced are those sites where beavers have been reintroduced.

Our Environment Correspondent Harry Cockburn has the full story:

At this moment of acute national crisis, the prime minister has been on holiday leaving a rudderless “zombie government” at the helm, essentially waiting for the end (of the administration) to come.

So instead of a rational conversation on how to reduce the terrifying bills and cut the UK’s exposure to the unpredictable fossil fuel markets, all focus is now on the Conservative party’s contenders for the leadership.

Here there is scarcely any awareness of the scale of the crisis either, with the candidates squabbling over which inadequate scraps (cuts to green levies from Truss, cuts to VAT from Sunak) they can toss to the increasingly desperate masses.

Read the full opinion piece by Harry Cockburn here:

More than 1,000 firefighters were battling to contain a “monster” wildfire tearing through the southwest of France for a third day on Thursday.

The latest blaze in the Gironde region, close to the wine-growing region around Bordeaux, has so far destroyed nearly 7,000 hectares of forest. It is believed to have started from previous fires that were smouldering in the area’s peaty soil.

Around 10,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes as a precaution, with more than a dozen properties scorched by the flames.

Rory Sullivan has the full story:

There is no running water or sign of any marine life within almost 10 miles of the usual source of the River Thames, and the climate crisis means this temporary shift could permanently change in future, experts have said.

While the springs that set the Thames on its course for London do often dry up in summer, conditions are “much worse” this year, and the ground is currently little more than a dry and dusty hollow.

Our Environment Correspondent Harry Cockburn has the full story:

Drought is expected to be declared for some parts of England, as another heatwave scorches the country after months of low rainfall.

Warnings are in place over the health impacts of extreme heat and the risk of wildfires, as temperatures are expected to climb as high as 36C in some areas.

The National Drought Group – made up of Government and agency officials, water companies and other groups such as the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) – is set to meet on Friday to discuss the prolonged dry weather.

Read the full story here: