British drought – the worst July in 190 years

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 22:38

  

Extremely little rain in July has caused severe drought in Britain. Photo: Joe Giddens /AP/TT

A long heatwave and extremely little rain have led to parts of Britain heading towards the driest July in 190 years.

According to preliminary figures, both England and Wales look set to have their driest July since 1836.

The weather has been characterised by an unusual combination of extreme heat, lots of sunshine and an almost total absence of rain in some areas, according to the British Met Office.

The weather agency describes July as “truly exceptional”.

Earlier this week, the agency announced that on June 26 a daytime temperature of 38 degrees was measured in Britain, which is a new heat record for the month.