Parts of London enjoyed a brief period of rain for the first time in six weeks this afternoon as Britain continues to bake in record-breaking heat.
Gardens, parks and golf courses across the capital have turned into a desert amid temperatures of up to 35C, following one of the driest July months ever recorded.
While most of today’s rain fell across the north and west of the UK – with 32.4mm recorded at Kinlochewe in Scotland – Southeast England also saw a trace of just under 0.2mm in locations such as Heathrow.
The level of rainfall was not enough to bring London out of its dry spell, the Environment Agency confirmed, with seven areas across England still in drought.
The areas are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and Wessex.
London is set to remain dry throughout this week and next, with slightly cooler temperatures of around 23C on the way.
But rivers are still running low, wildfire risk is increasing and millions of people are living under restrictions on water use.
Londoners on their commute home from work took to social media today to report their surprise at the brief spot of rain. One woman uploaded a video of herself smiling as she walked through the light shower, captioning the clip: ‘PSA: It is raining in London. Never thought I’d be so happy to see the rain in my life. Hallelujah.’
One woman took to social media to express her joy while walking through the light rain in London today
Someone captioned their post: ‘I never thought I’d see the day it rains again in London’
Another posted a video of a rainy London, saying they ‘love’ the unexpected shower amid a period of drought
Another showed rain falling onto a residential street, captioning the post: ‘Well that was unexpected London / 4th August 26.’
A third uploaded a photo of a slightly damp patio, writing: ‘Well that was pathetic lasted a few minutes but some rain which has sort of dampened the ground. Nothing measurable, amusing that’s the “wettest” I’ve seen it in six weeks. #London.’
Someone reacted to the post: ‘These are unusual times.’
The Environment Agency has increased its operational response amid the period of drought by controlling how much water can be taken from rivers and groundwaters.
Helen Wakeham, Director of Water at the Environment Agency and Chair of the National Drought Group, said: ‘The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.
‘A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife, and the economy.
‘We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated during the hot weather but every drop we can save is a drop more for nature and agriculture.’
Millions of Britons are also under hosepipe bans as water companies look to protect reserves.
Tiny puddles could be seen on the ground in one clip taken in the capital today
One person on social media took a video of a grey sky in London, captioning their post: ‘It’s raining!!!’
Horse riders on a path beside scorched grass at Richmond Park in south-west London today
A Daily Mail investigation told how one Kent road, just outside London, has been divided by water freedoms, with one half forbidden to use their hosepipes as the other remained free to do so.
The Met Office said more than half of England was in drought and several counties had seen less than 1mm of rainfall across the whole of July.
Last week it said provisional statistics showed England and Wales were on track to record their driest July in almost 200 years.
Meanwhile, the country as a whole was set for its third driest July on record, seeing just 35 per cent of the rainfall it would usually experience.
The Met Office added the dry conditions had come alongside ‘exceptional warmth’ across the country, with England set for its joint-warmest July for average temperature and Wales on course for its hottest-ever.
