London's green spaces are turning yellow as a baking summer with weeks of no rain takes its toll. Parks and fields around the capital and the southeast are looking parched.
Heatwave Forecasts and Alerts
Heat health alerts have been upgraded to amber in London between 9am on Wednesday and 9am on Thursday, with temperatures as high as 35C currently forecast by the Met Office. It is set to be the fourth time this summer that temperatures reach heatwave levels in the capital, following record-breaking months in May and June and another hot spell in mid-July.
People were seen playing cricket on a lone patch of green grass surrounded by parched land at Victoria Park in east London. Greenwich Park on July 10, 2026, also showed the effects of the dry conditions.
Hosepipe Ban Imposed
The dry and hot conditions have resulted in Thames Water imposing a hosepipe ban for over 10 million customers. As of Thursday, hosepipes should not be used for watering gardens, cleaning cars or windows, or filling paddling pools, hot tubs or swimming pools across London, the Thames Valley and the Home Counties.
Thames Water became the latest utility to announce temporary use bans in recent weeks, with around 23 million people across England now under or facing restrictions. Parts of southern, central and eastern England remain in "prolonged dry weather", the final stage before drought is declared. In the driest spots, there has been below 2% of the average July rainfall.
Wildfire Risk
The capital is also braced for further wildfires, with the Met Office claiming that fires could be exceptionally severe if they start in parts of London this week as a result of the conditions. London Fire Brigade (LFB) has just endured another busy weekend, with more than 1,300 incidents including grass fires and property fires. LFB has urged people to avoid disposable barbecues, dispose of smoking materials and put litter in the bin or take it home to avoid starting wildfires.
A report from the Met Office says that weather once regarded as extreme is now the new normal.
