"Environment Agency names seven regions affected by unusually hot and dry weather and shortage of water"
"Half of England is officially in drought, with July set to be the driest on record after winter floods, the Environment Agency has said.
The “flash drought” developed quickly because of unusually low rainfall and high temperatures.
The seven areas officially in drought 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).
Helen Wakeham, the director of water at the Environment Agency and chair of the National Drought Group, said: “The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it."
