Drought may be declared as temperatures reached 34.2C in Sussex

The village of Wiggonholt, near Horsham, experienced temperatures of 34.2C yesterday afternoon – making it hotter than parts of the Caribbean.

Britons have been warned of the health impacts of extreme heat and the risk of wildfires amid the heatwave.

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, August 12, to discuss the prolonged dry weather.

There are expectations drought could be declared for the most affected areas of England in the south and east, after the driest July on record for some areas and the driest first half of the year since 1976.

It will see the Environment Agency and water companies implementing more of their plans to manage the impacts of low water levels, which can include actions such as hosepipe bans.

A hosepipe and sprinkler ban for South East Water customers in Sussex came into force this morning.

By this afternoon, temperatures are to soar as high as 35C in southern areas of the UK, which will be hotter than the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados.

A four-day amber warning for extreme heat from the Met Office is in place until Sunday, with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel.

Forecaster Craig Snell said: “It’s going to be an incredibly hot day, and very sunny across the board, with temperatures slightly higher than what we saw on Thursday.”

There is also a heat health alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.

The ongoing dry conditions, combined with last month’s record-breaking heatwave, have depleted rivers, reservoirs and aquifers and dried up soils, hitting agriculture, water supplies and wildlife and raising the risk of wildfires.