England and Wales on course for driest July on record

England and Wales are on course for the driest July on record after an authoritative drought was declared across much more than half of England and parts of Wales. On Wednesday the Environment Agency declared a "flash drought" across much more than half of England, where water is being used up far faster than nature can replenish it. Wisley in Surrey has seen 44 consecutive days without any rainfall as of 30 July. Drought conditions had already been declared across North Wales and the Upper Severn river basin, according to Natural Resources Wales. Scotland does not declare drought but monitors "water scarcity". Some parts of eastern Scotland are in the most extreme category of "significant scarcity", according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The drought conditions have led to significant impacts, including reduced river flow and early harvests. More than 20 million people are already under hosepipe bans in a bid to conserve water. The hot weather and lack of rainfall have produced tinder‑dry conditions, exacerbating the risk of wildfires spreading. A major incident was declared in Suffolk on Wednesday as firefighters tackled a wildfire described as "the size of 200 football pitches". In Scotland, a wildfire in the Cairngorms burned for two weeks, destroying 10 square miles (25 square km) of moorland. Northern Ireland is not currently experiencing drought.