The East and West Midlands have officially entered drought, joining the North West and Yorkshire, after yet another hot and dry spell of weather. The Environment Agency announcement follows England's driest start to the year since 1976, leaving many rivers across the Midlands at extremely low levels.

The declaration comes after the country recently experienced its third heatwave of the summer and with reservoir levels falling in many areas.

Currently, three areas of the UK - Cumbria and Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire - are in drought, and three water companies have announced hosepipe bans following one of the UK's driest springs on record.