Officials review licensing system that allows farmers and businesses to abstract supplies

The last time Britain suffered a really gruesome drought, as a myriad of "the hazy summer of '76?" articles may soon remind us, the singles chart was headed by The Wurzels. Lest the subtle, subliminal messaging in their novelty hit tempt any farmers in the rainless South, East, South-east and parts of the Midlands to race to the agricultural-hardware showroom, I offer this warning. There is minimal point in buying a brand new combine harvester, in purest farming terms at least, in the present climatic conditions.

Hosepipe bans and rising food prices are set to hit millions of Britons after the Government raised the prospect of a spring and summer drought across a swathe of England following one of the driest winters on record.

The prospect of hosepipe bans in the coming weeks was looming for parts of England today as drought was officially declared in the South East.

A Cabinet minister's teenage son has won an injunction in the High Court against a tabloid newspaper to stop it from publishing a story about his private life.

Britain will be pressing for governments everywhere to adopt "green accounting", formally putting a value on environmental assets such as forests as much as on economic output, at a major world conference on sustainable development to be held in Brazil in June.

Householders will no longer face fines for making "innocent mistakes" when putting out their bins under plans being announced by the Government this week.

Fines for people who put their rubbish in the wrong bin are to be abolished under plans to be unveiled this week.

An environmental campaign group today told a High Court judge that ministers had "unlawfully" failed to explain Government plans to improve air quality in line with European Union (EU) legislation.

Withholding of PFI cash due to protest is bad news for similar operations planned across country.

Britain has secured international agreement to clamp down on the illegal trade of rhino horn, which has become so sought after it is now worth more than diamonds, gold, heroin and cocaine.

The Government today unveiled targets to create half a million more acres of important habitat such as woodland and meadows in England over the next decade.

The fight to stop thousands of badgers being culled has been joined by the campaign group which played a key role in forcing the Government to drop plans to sell off forests.