July was officially the driest month for England and Wales since records began 190 years ago. No rain at all was recorded in July at the Kew Gardens weather station, while London has officially been declared to be in drought, with a hosepipe ban now in force.

According to the BBC, the effects are now visible in the British capital’s green spaces, with many once-lush areas taking on the characteristic yellowish colour of parched grass.

The change is particularly striking in some of the capital’s best-known historic parks, including Hyde Park, Greenwich Park and Richmond Park. In several spots, the grass has disappeared entirely, leaving bare, dry earth and dust behind.

The images have caused a stir on social media, with Londoners comparing Hyde Park to a desert. “It’s turned into a Dubai desert,” one X user wrote.

“It’s interesting to see how different everything looks compared with just a month ago,” photographer Jason Hawkes said.

The 58-year-old singled out the image of Hyde Park in particular. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hyde Park look this dry before. From above, the picture is mad,” he said. “The roof gardens are the only spots that are still green. And they hardly ever seem to be in use,” he added.

Record wildfires in Britain amid fifth heatwave

The number of wildfires in England and Wales has reached record levels, fire service chiefs said today, warning that emergency services are struggling to cope with growing risks, a day after fires destroyed homes on the hottest day of the year so far.

The UK has not faced the kind of catastrophic wildfires seen in Spain, France and other European countries this year. However, it is experiencing its fifth heatwave, in what is expected to be the country’s hottest summer on record, and is facing more outbreaks of fire than ever before.

Britain is on course for its hottest summer ever recorded, having already experienced five heatwaves this year that have left around 45 million people living in drought-hit areas and 27 million facing water restrictions, according to government figures.