UK: Unprecedented high temperatures lead to drought in several parts of England - see pics

In the United Kingdom, the National Drought Group has declared an official drought for some regions after a prolonged period of dry weather as low-water levels and tinder-dry conditions continue across the country. 

After a formal meeting of the National Drought Group, Water Minister Steve Double said, "All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe, and we have made it clear it is their duty to maintain those supplies." 

Double added, "We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed." 

The agency has moved into drought in eight of its 14 regions, which are Kent and south London, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, and the east Midlands. 

England had its driest July since 1935, a report by the environment agency said.

The weather department noted that the period from January to June this year saw the least rainfall in England and Wales since 1976. 

After the announcement, the UK government noted that the decision to move the affected regions to drought status was based on factors such as rainfall, river flows and levels of groundwater and reservoirs and their impact on public water supply. 

Harvey Bradshaw, who is the National Drought Group chair, said in a statement, "We urge everyone to manage the amount of water they are using in this exceptionally dry period." 

The agency also said that the authorities will be cautious now and the water companies "will step up their actions to manage impacts" and press ahead with their published drought plans, including measures like hosepipe bans. However, the agency stressed that the "essential supplies of water are safe." 

The UK is facing extreme heat conditions in the past few weeks with July being quite a challenge for the entire country. As July was the driest July for England since 1935 as the temperatures rose above 40C for the first time. 

Authorities also revealed that the period from January to June this year saw the least rainfall in England and Wales since 1976. 

The source of the River Thames, which stretches 215 miles (356 kilometres) across southern England, from Gloucestershire in the west through the heart of London, has dried up further downstream than ever before. 

The River Thames stretches 215 miles (356 kilometres) across southern England, from Gloucestershire in the west through the heart of London. The river, which supplies water to 15 million people around London, eventually enters the sea at Essex to the east. 

Notably, the source, which is the natural spring that supplies the river dries up most summers. However, the conservation experts observed that this year the dry riverbed reaches significantly further downstream than in previous years. 

"The Thames would normally be at its source - and there's a nice pub next to it - would be about 15 kilometres back upstream," Alisdair Naulls, an engagement officer at the Rivers Trust, told Reuters while standing in a small section of the Thames in Cricklade, about 80 km west of London. 

"It's very, very shallow here ... but you don't have to go much further up this little bit of the Thames to find yourself stood on dry ground. And really, that is ground that should still be wet and should always be wet."