UK heatwave – live: Drought declared across large part of England

Yorkshire Water the latest company to declare hosepipe ban

Aftermath of Dagenham wildfires shows devastation

A drought has been declared across a large part of England as the driest summer in decades leaves millions facing water restrictions.

Parts of the southwest and swathes of southern, eastern and central England are to be moved into drought status, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says.

Yorkshire Water is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban as another heatwave scorches the country after months of low rainfall.

The restrictions will come into effect from 26 August, the company’s director, Neil Dewis, said, citing fears over falling water stocks and a need for caution over “clean water supplies and long-term river health” as the basis for its decision.

On Thursday, experts warned that only “exceptional rainfall” in these worst affected parts of the country over the autumn and winter would ensure that water resources returned to normal before next year, sparking concern that restrictions could last into 2023.

“The autumn-winter period as a whole will be critical to dictating what the water resources position will be as we go into 2023,” said Jamie Hannaford, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Key Points

• Drought declared in areas of England
• Yorkshire Water announces first hosepipe ban in 27 years
• UK climate effects already ‘worse than feared’ and are likely to deteriorate
• UK ‘completely unprepared’ to deal with ‘brutal, brutal’ wildfires, union warns
• Four-day extreme heat warning takes effect
• ‘Exceptional’ wildfire risk in place

[11 August 2022 19:28 · Aisha Rimi]

Some Europeans only have four hours of water daily amid drought alert

A village of 800 people in Spain can only get water for four hours a day as Europe continues to swelter under a heatwave.

The unprecedented temperatures scouring the continent have caused the taps in Bonastre, just south of Barcelona, to run dry as almost 50 per cent of the continent is under a drought warning.

Residents only have access to water from 7am to 10am and 8pm to 11pm each day, reports Euronews.

Samuel Webb has the full story:

[11 August 2022 19:40 · Aisha Rimi]

Are we in a drought and is it caused by climate change?

After weeks of hot and dry weather, drought could be declared for parts of England.

But what is a drought, and is the parched summer of 2022 a taste of the future?

Here are all your questions answered:

[11 August 2022 19:51 · Aisha Rimi]

RSPCA urges dog owners to keep them at home as temperatures soar

The RSPCS has shared some steps dog owners can take to ensure their dog stays cool during the summer months. Advice includes not leaving dogs in cars, giving dogs damp towels to lie on, and using pet safe suncream.

[11 August 2022 20:10 · Aisha Rimi]

France battles 'monster' wildfire as heatwaves scorch Europe

A “monster” wildfire raged for a third day in southwestern France on Thursday, ravaging forests and forcing 10,000 people to evacuate their homes.

With no let-up in scorching temperatures likely before the weekend, firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft battled on many fronts, saying the massive fire could change direction at any moment.

“It’s an ogre, it’s a monster,” Gregory Allione from the French firefighters body FNSPF told RTL radio.

Valentine Dupy took photos of her house with her phone before being evacuated from Belin-Beliet, at the heart of the Gironde region “just in case something happens”.

(via REUTERS)

“It was like an apocalypse. Smoke everywhere ... and planes throwing orange powder onto the fire.”

Firefighters said they had managed to save her village, transformed into a ghost town after police told residents to evacuate as the flames approached.

But the blaze reached the outskirts, leaving wrecked houses and charred tractors in its wake.

“We’ve been lucky. Our houses were saved. But you see the catastrophe all over there. Some houses could not be saved,” said resident Gaetan, pointing to houses burnt to the ground.

Support was on its way from across Europe, with 361 firefighters, as well as trucks and waterbombing aircrafts, expected to back up the 1,100 French firefighters already on the ground.

(REUTERS)

“We are still in the phase of (trying to) confine the fire, direct it where we want it, where there is less vegetation, where our vehicles can best position themselves ... so we can eventually fix it, control it and extinguish it,” said Matthieu Jomain, a spokesperson for the Gironde firefighers.

More than 60,000 hectares (230 square miles) have gone up in flames so far in France this year, six times the full-year average for 2006-2021, data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows.

French authorities said temperatures in the Gironde region would reach 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday and stay high until Saturday.

[11 August 2022 20:25 · Aisha Rimi]

Rishi Sunak sets out measures to boost UK drought resilience

Mr Sunak said: “For too long, water hasn’t had the attention that it deserves. We are living through some of the driest conditions in decades, and we need to make sure that measures to boost resilience to extreme weather conditions are part of our holistic plan for water - to protect its supply and clean it up.

“Water companies can and must step up to address leakage and mains bursts, which are contributing factors to consumer disruption including hosepipe bans. When it comes to enforcement, nothing is off the table.”

He added: “Our farmers are becoming increasingly concerned about crop failure and wildfires in these extreme conditions.

“We must make sure that we are incentivising them - through schemes like the Farming Transformation Fund and Farming Equipment and Technology Fund - to invest in water storage and technology like trickle irrigation to make more efficient use of water.

“I would also build the resilience of our water infrastructure, encouraging private investment and fast tracking approvals for alterations to reservoirs and water recycling facilities as well as new projects.”

[11 August 2022 20:38 · Aisha Rimi]

ICYMI: Firefighters ‘won’t be able to answer all calls’ as deadly heatwaves push services to ‘crisis point’

Firefighters have warned they will not be able to attend all call-outs as the second deadly heatwave in weeks stretches services already at “crisis point”.

Senior staff from crews around the country told The Independent that unprecedented demand and a lack of resources meant crews are not properly equipped to respond to the scale of heat-related incidents caused by the climate crisis.

They also raised concerns that drought conditions could hamper their abilities to tackle wildfires if lakes and ponds can no longer be used to access water.

Read the full story here:

[11 August 2022 20:55 · Aisha Rimi]

TikTok’s best hacks for how to keep your pets cool in a heatwave

Here are a few of TikTok’s best hacks to help your furry friend beat the heat:

[11 August 2022 21:08 · Aisha Rimi]

In Pictures: Heatwave across UK

Firefighters attend to a fire, following a long period of hot weather and little rain, in Rainham, Essex (REUTERS)

A person jogging on a path amongst dead grass in Victoria Park, east London (PA)

People on the dead grass in Parliament Square Garden, Westminster, central London (PA)

The sun rises above the London skyline, as a second heatwave is predicted for parts of the country (REUTERS)

[11 August 2022 21:28 · Aisha Rimi]

London Ambulance Service shares signs of heatstroke and heat exhaustion

[11 August 2022 22:01 · Aisha Rimi]

Government has ‘no plan’ for droughts, farmers and campaigners warn

The government has been accused of having no plan to deal with drought conditions that have seen record-breaking wildfires.

Millions of people in southern England are subject to hosepipe bans, farmers are concerned about their crops and natural habitats are under pressure as months of dry weather push the country towards dwindling water supplies, with another heatwave on the horizon.

It is only set to get worse, with the climate emergency expected to bring drier, hotter summers to the UK and, with them, the potential for more frequent droughts.

Read the full story here: