Mapped: Where droughts have been declared in the UK after record-breaking heatwaves

Prolonged periods of dry weather and record-breaking heatwaves have led to the UK’s first drought declaration as it faces increasingly extreme weather events due to climate change.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has declared a drought situation in North Wales and the Upper Severn due to drying river beds, bushfire risk and concerns about crops.

North Wales and the Upper Severn have received less than 2 per cent of the expected rainfall for the month so far; River flows in large parts of the region are extremely low, with some places recording or approaching record lows.

NRW said many parts of North Wales had seen no significant rainfall since July 6.

Areas affected by the drought declaration include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd and the Upper Severn.

The region has seen a number of fires amid heat in recent weeks and July is on course to be the driest recorded event in Wales for almost 190 years, with no significant rainfall next week.

The agency’s observations also show that groundwater levels continue to fall and river temperatures remain high.

All remaining catchments in south-west Wales have also moved from ‘normal’ to ‘extended dry weather’ following last week’s change of situation in south-east Wales.

As a result, the whole of Wales is now in either drought or prolonged dry weather.

North Rhine-Westphalia said a drought was declared when a number of indicators showing a significant deficiency in rainfall and water availability affecting rivers, groundwater, agriculture, natural systems and land management.

While water companies report that reservoir levels remain generally healthy, NRW is urging people to use water wisely.

Many parts of the UK have been in a prolonged dry spell as they received just 3 per cent of the average rainfall in July, with 23 million customers and suppliers warning the cyclone ban could remain in place all summer.

While fires continue in parts of England, Scotland has also been affected by a large bushfire in the Cairngorms, and the Republic of Ireland has implemented a nationwide cyclone ban in response to dry conditions.

This summer’s dry conditions follow last year’s dry summer; The UK is increasingly facing more extreme weather caused by human-induced climate change, mostly caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

As the hot weather continues, yellow temperature health alerts – warning of minor impacts on health and social care services – have been issued in England from 9am on Friday until 9am on Sunday for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England and London.

The Met Office said temperatures would be in the low to mid 20Cs, close to average for this time of year, but could be warmer on Tuesday next week.

While the south is expected to remain dry, there is some rain in the forecast and parts of northern Scotland could see 10 to 15 mm (0.4 to 0.6 inches) of rain in a few hours on Saturday, while parts of western Scotland could see up to 30 mm (1.2 inches) of rain.

But just 3 to 4mm (0.1in) is expected further south on Saturday and Sunday, and Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon warned: “While some areas will receive more rainfall than they have seen for some time, this is not the heavy rain that some areas may be after in terms of replenishing their water supplies.”

Rhian Thomas, Sustainable Water and Nature Manager for North Rhine-Westphalia, said: “The long periods of hot and dry weather we have experienced this summer are now having serious impacts on the environment in some parts of Wales.

“We have seen rivers fall to extremely low levels, groundwater continues to decline, and reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats increase.

“The recent bushfires in North Wales and South East Wales are one of the clearest and most visible signs of how dry our landscapes have become.

“Our teams continue to work closely with fire and rescue services, local partners and land managers to respond to these incidents and reduce risks as much as possible.”

He added: “While drought conditions do not automatically mean water shortages for customers, they do reflect increasing pressure on our environment.

“We ask everyone to play their part by using water wisely and helping to protect Wales’ natural resources during this exceptionally dry period.”