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

A couple who created ‘Britain’s best garden’ have revealed their top tips for keeping lawns, plants and flowers looking pristine during the drought and sweltering heatwave.

Tony Newton, 72, and wife Marie, 74, have managed to keep their award-winning “Four Season” oasis looking spectacular despite the country basking in extreme heat.

The couple have spent 40 years crafting one of the nation’s most celebrated back gardens in the heartlands of the Black Country in Walsall, West Midlands.

And now the green-fingered pair have shared their best gardening tips to help keep Britain’s lawns looking healthy amid rising temperatures and looming hosepipe bans.

Adam Dutton reports:

Five fire engines and around 35 firefighters have been called to a grass fire on Whips Cross Road in Leytonstone, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB).

Around two hectares of is said to grassland be alight.

An LFB spokesperson said: “There are still high temperatures forecast, especially for the coming days, and the ground remains dry.

“We’re urging people to take extra care and help us prevent fires on open land this summer.

“Make sure rubbish, especially glass, is safely thrown away and cigarettes are always properly disposed of. Grass will be tinder dry after periods of hot weather, so please don’t have barbecues in parks and public spaces.”

Sir Keir Starmer has accused the government of failing to fully prepare the UK for drought.

Parts of the South West, parts of southern and central England and the East of England were moved into official drought status on Friday.

The Labour leader, speaking in Edinburgh, said: “Water companies aren’t doing enough to deal with leakages and other problems.

“We saw the sewage going into rivers and I think that some of the regulations should have been better used.

“I would have liked to have seen to see much greater fines against those companies that aren’t doing what is necessary. But there’s a familiar pattern here, which is we’ve got a government with no strategy.

“This drought, this hot period, was predictable. But, as usual, we had no plan from the government and this is the pattern, this is the character of this government.”

He said that Labour would have a “strategic plan” for water supply.

“The regulations that are there are not being used to their full extent. I think there should be new regulations as well to ensure that we plan for the future.”

A senior Tory MP has said that the confirmation of drought status for parts of England must encourage more action to tackle climate change.

Environmental Audit Committee chair Philip Dunne MP called the National Drought Group’s declaration of drought “deeply concerning”.

“We must not rest on our laurels that ‘enough’ is being done to tackle climate change: the severity and frequency of heatwaves must concentrate minds and lead to efforts being ramped up to adapt the way we use and appreciate water.”

It will take “weeks of rain” to stop the drought which is sweeping through parts of England, an Environment Agency cheif has warned.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One, John Curtin, executive director for local operations at the agency, said: “Mainly it is a signal that this is not a normal summer now, so that water will be an issue and probably will be an issue for months ahead depending how the winter goes.”

He added: “It all depends on the weather, I’m afraid.

“There will be heavy showers probably Monday, Tuesday next week. But, please, don’t think that will stop the drought because we’re talking about ... we’ve lost a week’s worth of rain and it’ll take weeks of rain, we’ll need probably average or slightly above average rainfall this autumn into this winter for us to not be a drought next year.”

Sadiq Khan has called on Londoners to “play their part by saving water at home” after parts of England were moved into drought

Posting on Twitter, the Mayor of London said: “I’m urging water companies to act swiftly to stop the leaks which are leading to millions of gallons of water being wasted.”

He continued: “I’ll remain in contact with Thames Water to ensure Londoners are fully supported during these challenging times.”

“It will take more than a couple of wet days to redress the effects of the long dry spell we have had so far”, Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates has said despite the risk of “torrential downpours” next week.

Thunderstorm weather warnings are in place for Scotland and Northern Ireland on Sunday, before extending to also include Wales and north, central, and south-west England on Monday.

A host of UK utility companies have introduced hosepipe bans to conserve water as a drought is declared in large parts of England.

It comes amid the second heatwave in a matter of weeks, following blistering 40C temperatures in July that has left depleted rivers and reservoirs, parched fields and villages without water.

England has had its driest eight-month period since the notoriously drought-afflicted summer of 1976 between November 2021 and June 2022, the Met Office said.

Joe Sommerlad and Maryam-Zakir Hussain have the details: