Half of England has been declared officially in drought, as farmers warn the extreme conditions and record-breaking heatwaves are making it “harder, riskier and more costly” to produce food.
The Environment Agency says seven regions across central, eastern, and southern England are in drought after what is thought to be the driest July on record combined with soaring temperatures.
Agency bosses warned of lasting effects of the absence of rain on the environment, wildlife and the economy, while experts said farming was becoming increasingly precarious.
One farmer told The Independent that supermarkets would be forced to raise prices of cereals and fresh produce, and warned there could even be shortages of some products, such as baking potatoes, this year.
Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), warned that climate change is “now taking us into uncharted territory”, while water minister Emma Hardy said the UK must prepare for a “new normal” as droughts became increasingly common.
The regions officially in drought are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex, which covers Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.
England has had just 7 per cent of its expected rainfall this month, with the southern part of the country experiencing an even more drastic 1 per cent, which is likely to mean this month will go down as the driest July ever.
Environment chiefs say much of the country is experiencing a “flash” drought – one that has come on quickly despite a very wet winter, as a result of dry weather in spring and summer and a series of heatwaves that put pressure on resources.
Some parts of the UK are seeing their fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures reaching into the mid-30s. This follows 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.
It comes after north Wales and the Upper Severn areas of Wales became the first UK areas to be in drought last week.
Wisley, in Surrey, is now thought to be the driest place in Britain after going 43 days with no rain. No rain is forecast until Monday next week – and even then, the amounts are forecast to be “fairly modest”.
But for many arable farmers, the damage is already done. Paul Francis, of Long Farms in Suffolk, said the prolonged lack of rain had had a dramatic effect on yields of oilseed rape, potatoes, onions and carrots, and that those vegetables were likely to be smaller.
“You feel helpless,” he said. “England is usually good for enough rain for crops and a lot of money goes into growing them, but the weather can spoil it.”
He said there could potentially be a shortage of baking potatoes and onions, and supermarkets should raise prices to compensate farmers.
National Farmers’ Union (NFU) deputy president Paul Tompkins said: “Farmers and growers have always had to contend with the weather, but what they are experiencing now is climate change in action.
“Across every sector and every part of the country, farmers and growers are seeing at first hand the impact of dry weather and drought, with more extreme conditions making it harder, riskier and more costly to produce the nation’s food.”
Farmers have been forced to harvest some crops early, with some, such as cereals, producing poorer yields. Livestock farmers are using winter feed for livestock as a result of poor grass growth, and even those with on-farm reservoirs say they are likely to run out of supply next month in areas in drought.
Helen Wakeham, director of water at the Environment Agency and chairwoman of the National Drought Group, said the hot and dry weather meant water was being used more quickly than nature could 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,” she said.
“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.”
Mr Lancaster warned that the kind of “weather whiplash” suffered in the past two years was making farming incredibly precarious.
He said: “Climate change is now taking us into uncharted territory, with two consecutive summers of drought hammering farmers, wildlife and our public water supplies.
“With one of the wettest winters on record in between, the prediction of warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers for the UK that climate scientists have long warned us about is now a reality.”
The UK is increasingly suffering from extreme weather such as droughts and severe heatwaves fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels.
Temperatures reached 35.2C at Writtle, in Essex, on Wednesday, marking the seventh day this year when temperatures have hit 35C or above. Before this year, the record number of days of 35C or above was five, set in the heatwave-and-drought summer of 1976, and in 2020.
The heat is set to ease off later in the week, but dry conditions are expected to continue. Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick told The Independent that high pressure was going to be the dominant factor for much of August and the first half of September.
He said nothing in the forecasts suggested the drought would be short-lived.
“We want a good soaking, a good long period of rain to come, but in the forecast at the moment, especially over the next few days, there’s not actually a lot going on for England,” he said.
“The only time we may see a little bit more in the way of extensive rain is possibly on Sunday evening into Monday. There may be some heavier bursts, but it’s not going to be long-lived. It’s not going to provide anything substantial for England.”
The risk of wildfires starting is higher than usual, and fire chiefs warned people to take “simple precautions”, such as avoiding disposable barbecues and disposing of cigarettes safely.
The Met Office announced that a new June temperature record of 38C has been confirmed, up from the 37.7C provisionally announced.
The UK and England record, set on 26 June, came from the same station – Lingwood in Norfolk – as the provisional reading, the Met Office said.
Zoe Quiroz Cullen, head of climate and international policy at The Wildlife Trusts, said rivers, lakes and wetlands are under immense strain, leaving wildlife struggling to survive.
“This should be an urgent wake-up call. We need to act faster to prepare for a warmer, more unpredictable climate,” she said.
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