Britain is facing running dry during the 34C heat with five areas in drought and England suffering ‘nationally significant’ water shortages.
Six more areas are also experiencing prolonged dry weather after the driest six months since 1976.
The Environment Agency has called on Britons to ‘play their part’ and use less water to ‘help reduce the pressure on our water environment’.
Heavy rainfall and storms in July had ‘helped mask’ that July this year was the fifth warmest on record, the National Drought Group said.
It comes as Britain’s fourth heatwave of the summer will be at its peak today, with Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and the outskirts of London set to see the highest temperatures.
An amber health alert came into force at 9am for the Midlands, South East, East of England, and London. There are yellow alerts in place across the rest of England.
Today will be the fourteenth day that the mercury has risen past the 30C mark, with the heatwave set to continue for the rest of this week. Temperatures are expected to hit 31C on Friday.
While people living in newbuild flats in east London have complained about the sweltering conditions during the heat, saying it is ‘unbearable’ to live in.
An aerial photo of Broomhead Reservoir in South Yorkshire on August 12, 2025
Dry banks at Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District National Park on August 12, 2025
Water minister Emma Hardy said after yesterday’s National Drought Group meeting that ‘the Government is urgently stepping up its response to ensure we are successfully managing the impacts of ongoing dry weather’.
‘Water companies must now take action to follow their drought plans – I will hold them to account if they delay,’ she said.
‘We face a growing water shortage in the next decade. That’s why we are pushing ahead with root and branch reform under our Plan for Change, which includes £104 billion of private investment to build nine reservoirs and new pipes to cut leaks.’
Tourists heading to the coast have also been warned of travel disruption, as car engines come under threat of overheating.
RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: ‘Major roads to tourist hotspots such as Devon and Cornwall, the south coast and Peak and Lake District are all more likely to suffer lengthy queues, so plan your journey well in advance if using these routes.’
The UK Health Security Agency has warned of significant impacts across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
Officials have recommended closing windows and curtains in rooms facing the sun to keep them cool, wearing a hat and sunglasses and covering up to protect from sunburn, and exercising in the morning or evening ‘when it is cooler’.
Professor Karol Sikora, the former director of a World Health Organisation programme, said the warnings were ‘complete nanny state’.
LONDON — A woman in a bikini enjoys the summer heat in the capital’s Hyde Park today
LONDON — A worker fills up his water bottle as Britain is gripped by its fourth heatwave of the summer
LONDON — A woman is spotted reading her book in Hyde Park during the heatwave, August 12, 2025
LONDON — A topless man is seen roller skating through Hyde Park on August 12, 2025
LONDON — People were using umbrellas to shield them from the sun’s rays, August 12, 2025
CORNWALL — Beachgoers enjoy the heatwave on Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth on August 12, 2025
HAMPSHIRE — People head to the seafront in Southsea today during the sweltering heat
HAMPSHIRE — A couple sit on deckchairs on the seafront at Southsea, August 12, 2025
CORNWALL — Beachgoers work on their tan during the heatwave on Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth, August 12, 2025
Swimmers head to Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside for a dip in the sea on Tuesday August 12
A jogger goes for a morning run with her dog by her side at Clarence Pier in Southsea, Portsmouth, before temperatures rise later today
Sunbathers are seen on the beach in Ryde on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday, August 12
Of the UKHSA, he added: ‘They are trying to justify their existence. Torremolinos [on the Spanish Costa del Sol] is full of oldies like me basking in the sun.’
Meanwhile, former Conservative minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘I suggest people put on a Panama hat and drink a glass of refreshing Pimm’s while ignoring those wastrels at the UKHSA who would be more use if they joined the junior doctors on strike.’
Meanwhile, people living inside newbuild flats in Tower Hamlets have long complained about the conditions during hot weather.
During last year’s summer heat, one fed-up Leaside Lock resident showcased their desperation to the outside world by plastering a warning note to their window.
‘Do not buy these flats. Too hot,’ it said in capital letters.
At the nearby Three Waters block of flats, Sandra Monteiro, 41, told The Guardian that temperatures inside her 11th-floor home have not gone below 27C for the past two months.
‘It feels like you’re in a trap,’ the SEND teacher said.
The conditions, she said, had left her feeling ‘out of breath’ and ‘exhausted’, with it also causing her frequent headaches.
Wednesday could bring 33C to 34C heat to eastern England including Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and East Anglia, and Thursday may see 29C to 30C in London and East Anglia.
Monday’s highest temperature was 31.9C at Heathrow.
Seasonal averages are generally between 18C and 22C in Britain, and go up to 23C for London.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said yesterday that the UK is on day two of the heatwave and there is ‘overall a very hot, very warm week to come’.
The Met Office defines a heatwave as temperatures meeting or exceeding a certain threshold for three consecutive days or more.
This is 25C for most of the UK, but rises to 28C in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher.
It is the fourth heatwave the UK has experienced this summer and it comes after the warmest June and fifth warmest July since records began.
Lower pressure to the west and higher pressure to the east of the country is creating a southerly airflow which is drawing in hot and humid air from Europe, he added.
An amber health alert came into force at 9am for the Midlands, South East, East of England, and London. There are yellow alerts in place across the rest of England
The country’s fourth heatwave of the summer will be at its peak today, with Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and the outskirts of London set to see the highest temperatures
It was an uncomfortable Monday night’s sleep for many across the country with a minimum temperature of 19C in some parts
People take a glance at the swans paddling in the water in Tooting Bec Common, London
People go for a run on Tooting Bec Common, in London, on the day temperatures are set to reach 34C
People are this morning seen on their boats at the Hugh Town harbour on the Isles of Scilly
Swimmers cool off during the early morning sun in Dover, Kent, with temperatures set to peak today during Britain’s fourth summer heatwave
A paddleboarder in the North Sea at Cullercoats Bay on North Tyneside on Tuesday, August 12
A couple enjoy the early morning sun on the beach in Dover, Kent — August 12, 2025
A man wearing his swimming shorts looks at his phone as he sits on the beach in Dover, Kent — August 12, 2025
The near continent is experiencing high temperatures with France reaching the low 40Cs on Monday.
‘As we go through the week, there’s lots of sunshine and the air isn’t really going anywhere … that sort of then hangs around,’ he added.
‘It’s drawing in at the moment and then sort of stays across the UK for the rest of the week.’
Fire spread around three hectares of grass in Wanstead Flats, east London, on Monday afternoon.
Wales may see its hottest day of the year on Tuesday but temperatures are not expected to break 2025 records in other parts of the UK.
England’s high for 2025 stands at 35.8C recorded in Faversham, Kent, on July 1.
Swimmers take to the water from a beach in Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly — August 12, 2025
Dog walkers gather in Tooting Bec Common in London during the morning sunshine on Tuesday, August 12
A woman walks her dog on Tooting Bec Common in London on Tuesday, August 12
On Monday, officials warned that England is suffering from ‘nationally significant’ water shortfalls despite rain in July.
The national drought group – which includes the Met Office, regulators, government, water companies and other organisations – has met as five areas of the country remain in drought, with six more in prolonged dry weather status.
England is seeing widespread environmental and agricultural impacts from the lack of water, which is hitting crop yields, reducing feed for livestock, damaging wetlands and river wildlife, and increasing wildfires, the group said.
Experts warn climate change is driving more extreme weather conditions in the UK, worsening drought and dry spells, and making heatwaves more frequent and severe.