England, Wales had driest July on record

England and Wales both experienced the "driest July on record", the UK Met Office weather agency said Monday, based on provisional figures.

The month of July was also the "sunniest month ever observed" in Britain, the Met Office said.

"July 2026 has been a truly remarkable month in the UK's climate record," said Met Office science manager Amy Doherty.

It saw a "combination of record-breaking dryness, exceptional warmth and unprecedented sunshine," she noted.

The weather service said that, of of the two UK countries, England had recorded just 6.5 millimetres (0.25 of an inch) of rain, 10 percent of the usual average figure, while Wales had 9.3 mm, the Met Office said.

Little in the way of rain is forecast for the next week, it added.

In the southern part of England, July was the driest month ever recorded, dating back to 1836, with just 1.9 mm of rainfall, or three percent of the average figure, the Met Office said.

London and its suburbs are one of 19 English regions to have had no more than one millimetre of rainfall last month.

The last three months all saw below average monthly rainfall.

Helen Wakeham, chairperson of the National Drought Group, said: "We are seeing the effects on our farmers, our wildlife, and the amount available for public and business use."

Water companies in parts of England and Wales have imposed bans on using hose pipes for household tasks and watering plants.

"The impact of this on nature and biodiversity -- our birds, bees and butterflies -- is simply unfathomable," said Greenpeace UK's head of politics Ami McCarthy in a statement.

Friends of the Earth's head of campaign, Rosie Downes, called for a "stronger National Adaptation Plan" to help the UK prepare for the "increasingly extreme weather we can be sure to expect as the planet warms". AFP