Uni records hottest, sunniest and driest month ever

A university has said July was the hottest, sunniest and driest month since records began 120 years ago, as the country remains gripped by a heatwave.

Experts at the University of Reading's Atmospheric Observatory described July as a "remarkable month" with 359 hours of sunshine and average daily temperatures of 21.2C (70.16F), exceeding the previous record set in July 2006.

The university said some locations around Reading also recorded no measurable rainfall at all, something not seen since local rainfall records began in 1858.

Prof Hannah Cloke, from the University of Reading said it is a sign that we are not doing enough when it comes to climate change.

The regius professor in meteorology and climate science, said : "We're in this for the long term and it is going to get worse and worse and we need to start adapting now and we need to stop burning fossil fuels."

Cloke said: "We've created this problem for ourselves and science has been telling us this for a while."

The university noted that only two days failed to reach 25C (77F) throughout July and temperatures exceeded 30C (86F) on eight days.

Sixteen days this year have been above 30C, surpassing the previous annual record of 14 set in 1976.

The prolonged high temperatures combined with low rainfall means water reserves have rapidly depleted, which sparked what the Environment Agency called a "flash drought," beginning suddenly rather than over many months or years.

While droughts happen naturally, scientists say that climate change is raising the risks, with higher summer temperatures drying out soils more quickly. This can lead to more severe and longer-lasting droughts.

Multiple water companies have implemented temporary hosepipe bans across England, including Southern Water, South East Water, and Thames Water.

"We're under water use restrictions and we keep being told that these records are breaking and we should be paying attention," said Cloke.