Wildfires Force Evacuations in East London as UK Declares Drought and Hosepipe Bans Expand Amid Third Heatwave

East London, UK – Wildfires have ripped through parts of East London, forcing residents to evacuate their homes, as the UK grapples with its third heatwave of the year, leading to official drought declarations and expanding hosepipe bans across the country.

Temperatures reaching 33°C over the weekend have exacerbated dry conditions, prompting the Environment Agency to officially declare drought for the West and East Midlands. This comes as firefighters battle multiple blazes in London, stretching resources and causing significant disruption.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was deployed to incidents across Dagenham, Hornchurch, and Walthamstow on Monday. In Dagenham, a particularly severe grass fire behind Clemence Road saw 20 fire engines and approximately 125 firefighters tackling an eight-hectare blaze. Residents near the inferno, which consumed shrubland, trees, fences, and garden furniture, were ordered to leave their homes. The LFB advised others in the vicinity to keep doors and windows shut due to thick smoke and urged the public to avoid the area due to road closures. The fire, which generated over 75 emergency calls starting at 6:30 pm, was brought under control by 9:46 pm.

The declaration of drought status for the West and East Midlands followed a meeting of the National Drought Group this morning, where officials and experts noted a significant deterioration in conditions since their last meeting on June 5th. The group heard that without substantial rainfall, further drought measures, including more Temporary Use Bans (TUBs), commonly known as hosepipe bans, may be necessary.

The Environment Agency has warned that most of England could face hosepipe bans this summer, with millions already affected or soon to be. Thames Water is the latest supplier to announce a ban, set to come into effect next Tuesday for customers across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire, and parts of Berkshire. This decision follows the Environment Agency placing the region under a 'prolonged dry weather' classification.

Three regions – Cumbria and Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire – are already in drought, with three water firms having introduced hosepipe bans after an exceptionally dry spring. The Environment Agency anticipates that up to five additional areas could face drought status by September, potentially bringing the total to eight regions if dry conditions persist. These could include parts of Thames Wessex, Solent and South Downs, East Anglia, and Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.

The Environment Agency has urged the public to use water wisely and comply with local restrictions, while also pressing water companies to adhere to their drought management plans and intensify efforts to fix leaks.

Scientists have linked the recent extreme conditions to human-caused climate change, noting wide-ranging impacts. Stuart Sampson, drought manager at the Environment Agency, expressed concerns for farmers, whose irrigation reservoirs are at critically low levels. Farmers are reporting poor crop quality and lower livestock yields, raising fears for winter feed supplies. Anger is particularly high among farmers in East Anglia, who face abstraction bans due to low river levels but see no corresponding hosepipe ban.

Beyond agriculture, the environmental toll is mounting, with the Environment Agency conducting fish rescues due to higher water temperatures causing die-offs and an increase in harmful blue-green algae blooms. Canal and river trusts have also reported restrictions and closures caused by critically low reservoir levels supplying their networks.