Almost three-quarters of England now in drought ahead of summer’s fifth heatwave

Four more regions given drought status, with 45 million people now living with restrictions on water use

Almost three-quarters of England is now in drought, as much of Europe braces for its fifth climate crisis-driven heatwave this summer.

Four more regions of England have officially been declared to be in drought: the east Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs.