ENGLAND and Wales recorded their driest July on record, according to provisional figures released by the Met Office on Monday.
The Met Office also said July was the sunniest month ever observed in Britain. Across the UK, it was the second-hottest July on record.
"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 England recorded just 6.5 millimetres (0.25 of an inch) of rain during July, or 10 per cent of the usual average. Wales received 9.3 mm of rainfall.
The Met Office added that little rain is forecast over the next week.
Amber and yellow heat alerts in force as England faces hot weather
In southern England, July was the driest month on record dating back to 1836, with just 1.9 mm of rainfall, or three per cent of the average figure.
London and its suburbs were among 19 regions in England that recorded no more than one millimetre of rainfall during the month.
The last three months all recorded 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 introduced hosepipe bans covering household use and watering plants.
"The impact of this on nature and biodiversity -- our birds, bees and butterflies -- is simply unfathomable," Greenpeace UK's head of politics Ami McCarthy said 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".
Britain's current national adaptation programme includes plans for new flood defences, more green spaces and more drought-resistant crops.
Across the UK, this was the second-hottest July on record.
Record heatwaves in May and June led to an estimated 2,877 excess deaths in England, the UK Health Security Agency said last week.
The agency has issued an amber health warning for four regions, including London, warning of an increased risk to people aged over 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Wales recorded its joint hottest July on record, with a mean temperature of 17.8C, matching figures recorded in 2006 and 1983.
"Harvest is finished and is only just the beginning of August," National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw told Sky News on Monday.
"That's unthinkable compared to only a decade ago and it will be one of the earliest harvests on record," he said, adding yields were a third lower than normal.
McCarthy of Greenpeace UK urged the government to "financially support" farmers "to transition to more nature-friendly farming methods".
