Drought hits half of England and all of Wales, testing Britain's rainy reputation

An “exceptionally serious” drought has left half of England and all of Wales officially in drought, with July rainfall just 7% of average, hitting farms and water supplies. Farmers report unprecedented conditions: cereal harvests ended early, crop yields are down 25%, and firefighters handled nearly 400 wildfires in July. More than 20 million people face hosepipe bans, and England’s water supply could fall 5 billion litres a day by 2050. Britain, known for rain and green landscapes, is adapting through soil improvements and hardier crops. Planned reservoirs are not expected until the 2030s, and critics question new data centres’ water use.