KEEP CALM & CARIBBEAN
Britain to be hotter than the CARIBBEAN today on 35C scorcher… but rain to hit in days
BRITAIN is set to be hotter than the CARIBBEAN today as temperatures surge to 35C.
A drought was declared across parts of England this morning - with Brits expected to wait until Sunday for the next bout of rain.
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Temperatures are set to soar as high as 35C in the south this afternoon - making Britain hotter than the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados.
Meanwhile, The National Drought Group (NDG) met today to discuss the continued dry weather.
A four-day amber warning for extreme heat is currently in place across much of England and Wales until Sunday, with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel.
There is also a heat health alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.
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Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: "It's going to be an incredibly hot day, and very sunny across the board, with temperatures slightly higher than what we saw on Thursday."
The ongoing dry conditions, combined with last month's record-breaking heatwave, have depleted rivers, reservoirs and aquifers and dried up soils, hitting agriculture, water supplies and wildlife and raising the risk of wildfires.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs earlier declared that most affected areas of England - the South West, parts of southern and central, and the East - are to be moved into drought status.
This includes: Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent, south London and East Sussex, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and the East Midlands.
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Yorkshire and the West Midlands are also expected to be moved into the drought category later this month.
The measures will see the Environment Agency and water companies enforce more of their plans to manage the impacts of low water levels, which can include actions such as hosepipe bans.
Yorkshire Water has become the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban, with restrictions coming into effect from August 26.
Yorkshire Water's director of water, Neil Dewis, said: "Our decision to introduce a hosepipe ban is based on the risk that water stocks continue to fall in the coming weeks and the need to be cautious about clean water supplies and long term river health."
Four water companies in England and Wales have already brought in hosepipe bans or have signalled their intention to do so, while the Wildlife Trusts have called for an England-wide hosepipe ban to protect nature and rivers.
But some water companies have failed to meet their own targets for cutting household leaks and domestic use, with many blaming the fact more people are at home.
Ofwat, the water regulator. said in a statement: "Progress has been made in the past few years but there is much further to go, which is why we are pushing companies to reduce leakage, fix their environmental performance and become more financially resilient while keeping bills affordable and helping customers reduce their consumption.
"Where we find that companies have fallen short, we will act - over the last five years, for example, we have imposed penalties and payments of over £250 million."
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It comes after temperatures reached 34.2C at Wiggonholt, West Sussex, on Thursday afternoon, while many areas in southern England and Wales hit the low 30s.
Fires broke out in different areas, including London, Essex, Gloucestershire, Surrey and Cheshire.
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