The Met Office has issued an orange heat warning for parts of England and Wales as areas brace for temperatures of up to 35C. The alert comes as drought has been officially declared in eight areas: Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and south London, Hertfordshire and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire and the East Midlands. John Curtin, executive director of regional operations at EA, said that after the driest summer in 50 years, it would take “weeks of rain” to replenish water sources. Three water companies, Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water, have imposed tube bans, while Yorkshire Water has announced a ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water is planning one in the coming weeks. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Dry weather is forecast to continue in the south this weekend, with the risk of more fires. “Very dry and warm conditions will continue in the south for the rest of the weekend,” Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said. “We’re looking at temperatures of up to 34C or 35C in the south, it feels a bit cooler in the north, but temperatures up there are still a lot warmer than they should be for the time of year.” He warned: “It has been extremely dry for a long time and the soil and vegetation has been baked dry. So there is significant risk [of wildfires].” Four fire engines tackled a blaze in Derbyshire, while emergency services were called to tackle blazes in Dorset and east London. Yellow storm warnings will be in place on Sunday as the Met Office predicts heavy rain across most of Scotland and Northern Ireland. The storm is expected to move down into England and Wales on Monday. “Today’s warm weather will pave the way for a storm from the west, which will spread south and east early next week. Ahead of this, isolated but heavy thunderstorms are possible on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,” Met Office forecaster Jason Kelly said. “The warnings highlight the potential for some places to see around 50mm of rain in a three-hour period in the north, with some areas further south likely to see around 30mm of rain over a three-hour period. Hail and frequent lightning are also possible as part of these downpours and pose an additional risk.” England had its driest July since 1935 this year, with the month also going down in UK climate history, topping 40C on July 19.
