Half of England in drought, Environment Agency says

A drought has been declared in half of England after record low rain and high temperatures.

Seven areas of England are now officially in drought, the Environment Agency has said.

They are East Anglia; Hertfordshire and the whole of London; Thames Valley; Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; Devon and Cornwall; the West Midlands and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and south Gloucestershire).

Almost a third of England - including Yorkshire, parts of the South East and North West - is in "prolonged dry status", with only the North East still seeing "normal" conditions for the time of year.

This follows record low rain and high temperatures and comes despite a very wet winter replenishing reservoirs and groundwater.

July is set to be the driest month on record, with England having just 7% of expected rainfall, and southern England seeing just 1%.

Wales is on course for its driest July in nearly 190 years, data shows.

There have been three droughts in the past five years, in 2022, 2025 and 2026.

It comes as the fourth heatwave of the year is set to peak on Wednesday with temperatures of up to 35C (95F), as experts warn wildfires could be "exceptionally severe".

The Met Office said it is set to be the seventh day of 2026 when the UK has recorded a value of 35C or higher - the record in a single year was previously five in 1976.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat health alert for the East Midlands, the East, South East and London.

The alert is in place until 9am on Thursday with the agency warning that rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.

July has been 3C above average across the UK, according to provisional Met Office data, potentially putting it among the hottest three or four months of July on record.

The dry conditions come after last year's drought summer, with the UK facing more extreme weather fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels.

There were record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, and a third earlier this month, which have hit agriculture, rivers and the natural environment, prompted widespread wildfires and led to hosepipe bans for millions of people.

The Met Office confirmed a new June temperature record of 38C (100.4F).

A Met Office assessment revealed fires could be exceptionally severe if they break out in parts of London, the South East and eastern England, as a result of the hot, dry conditions.

Fire chiefs warned the wildfire risk "remains elevated across the UK" and called for "everyone to play their part" to reduce the risk of incidents.

Europe wildfires: 'Almost all' firefighters in France tackle flames

Emergency services in England and Wales have responded to 706 wildfires so far in 2026, with 208 incidents recorded between 16 and 28 July alone, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said.

It added that the latest figures, which do not account for wildfires across the rest of the UK such as a major wildfire in the Cairngorms in Scotland, show "how quickly wildfire activity can increase during prolonged periods of hot and dry weather".

The NFCC said there were "currently eight live wildfire incidents being monitored through national reporting systems".

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were continuing to "make progress at the major wildfire incident at Tintwistle Moor" after 60 personnel were deployed on Tuesday.

'We should expect complex wildfires in future'

NFCC chairman Phil Garrigan said: "More than 200 wildfires in just 12 days shows how quickly the risk can escalate when hot, dry conditions take hold.

"The scenes we're seeing across parts of Europe are a stark reminder of what a changing climate means for fire and rescue services.

"We are not seeing fires of that scale in the UK today, but the science tells us we should expect larger, more frequent and more complex wildfires in the future."

'We're using water faster than nature can replenish'

Helen Wakeham, director of water at the Environment Agency and chairwoman of the National Drought Group, said: "The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.

"A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife and the economy.

"We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated during the hot weather but every drop we can save is a drop more for nature and agriculture."

(c) Sky News 2026: Half of England in drought, Environment Agency says