71.3% of England declared in drought as fifth heatwave approaches and wildfires strain emergency services
The National Drought Group declared 71.3% of England in drought on 10 August after the driest July on record, as firefighters battled blazes across the country and farmers warned of food price rises within months.
Drought declaration expands
The National Drought Group met on Monday, 10 August, and determined that 71.3% of England is now in drought, up from the areas already declared on 29 July. The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs became the latest regions to move into drought status. The North East and Yorkshire moved to "prolonged dry weather," the stage before drought, with nowhere in England now deemed in normal status. About 45 million people live in the affected areas. All regions of England are experiencing pressure on water resources, with increasing impacts across agriculture, public supplies, navigation, and the environment. England and Wales recorded their driest July in records dating back to 1836, with 19 English counties seeing no rain for the entire month. England received just 10% of its usual July rainfall, and a fifth heatwave of the year was forecast with scant rain expected in the week ahead.
- Drought declared across East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, West Midlands, and Wessex
- New Forest blaze begins in Hampshire; Nottinghamshire fire service declares major incident near Mansfield
- National Drought Group meets; 71.3% of England declared in drought with new areas added
Wildfire pressure on emergency services
More than 120 firefighters continued to tackle a blaze in the New Forest national park in Hampshire that began on Sunday. Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service declared a major incident the same day as two large fires in woodland near Mansfield strained resources. Recent weeks also saw large blazes in Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda valley in south Wales, and the Cairngorms national park in Scotland. The Fire Brigades Union described an "unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires" as the country braced for the fifth heatwave. FBU general secretary Steve Wright called it a "national priority" to have enough properly equipped firefighters to face the threats.
An internal briefing seen by the Guardian showed that London fire brigade received 75,652 emergency calls between 1 April and 9 July, 31% more than the previous five-year average, while incidents rose by nearly a quarter to 42,943. London firefighters responded to 392 wildfires and 68 water rescues during the period.
- Emergency calls
- 75652
- Incidents
- 42943
- Wildfires
- 392
- Water rescues
- 68
Food supply and price warnings
Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the House of Commons' Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said consumers would see the impact of this summer's weather in six to 12 months. Wheat and barley yields were expected to be lower, and imports from continental Europe would not provide relief because those countries face the same conditions.
If you decrease the supply but you maintain the demand, then you're going to pick the price up, so we will be seeing further food price inflation shocks for everybody come the later part of the year.
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit estimated that the hot and dry conditions could cut the country's cereals and oilseed harvest by 2.5 million compared to earlier projections. National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw said conditions had left the agricultural sector struggling.
This is one of the most severe droughts many farmers and growers have lived through. Harvest yields are looking poor, farmers are struggling to access water to irrigate fruit and vegetables, and livestock farmers are having to use grass they cut this spring for their stores of winter feed for cattle as there's very little grass growing now.
Water company warnings
Wessex Water said its reservoirs were at about 58% of capacity and that a 30% rise in water usage during drought conditions was creating supply challenges. Director of Water Supply Will Willoughby said a hosepipe ban was possible if customers did not reduce usage, noting the company's 50-year record without one. He said a hosepipe or sprinkler can use up to 1,000 litres of water per hour. The average person in the UK uses around 142 litres of water per day.
A ban can have a significant impact on our customers and we have got a 50-year record without a hosepipe ban, which we are extremely proud of, but we understand that may change going forward if we can't make these small changes.
