It’s parched England’s driest July since 1911

THIS month has been the driest in England so far since 1911, the Met Office has revealed.

Only 15.8mm (0.6inches) of rain fell on average across the country, just under a quarter of the amount that would be expected in an average July.

Some parts of the country have not had a drop of rain during the entire month. The Met Office said at this stage in the month – up to July 26 – the country would have expected over three-quarters of the month’s rain to have fallen.

Across the UK it has been the driest July since 1984 so far, with an average of 37.7mm (1.5 inches) of rain.

The driest place in England this month has been Odiham, in Hampshire, according to forecasters, where zero rain has been recorded.

St James’s Park in London and Charsfield in Suffolk have seen 0.4mm of rainfall this month.

Overall London has recorded 0.6mm – just one per cent of its July average.

The Met Office said yesterday that increases in the average summer temperatures have become a normal state of affairs for the UK.