It is understood drought will be declared in the south west as another heatwave scorches the country after months of low rainfall.

Met office weather warnings are already in place over the health impacts of extreme heat and the risk of wildfires, as temperatures are expected to climb as high as 36C in some parts of the country.

The National Drought Group – made up of Government and agency officials, water companies and other groups such as the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) – is set to meet on Friday (August 12) to discuss the prolonged dry weather.

There are expectations drought could be declared for the most-affected areas of England in the south and east, after the driest July on record for some areas and the driest first half of the year since 1976.

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Met Office weather forecast for Bournemouth

Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said: “Persistent high pressure over the UK means temperatures have been rising day-on-day through this week and it is important people plan for the heat.

“We will also see increasingly warm nights, with temperatures expected not to drop below the low 20s for some places in the south.”

It will be yet more cloudless skies on Friday with a less than 5% chance of rain predicted all day. Here’s the hourly temperatures forecast for Bournemouth tomorrow:

  • Midnight 23C
  • 1am 22C
  • 2am 21C
  • 3am 20C
  • 4am 20C
  • 5am 19C
  • 6am 19C
  • 7am 19C
  • 8am 20C
  • 9am 23C
  • 10am 26C
  • 11am 28C
  • 12pm 29C
  • 1pm 28C
  • 2pm 28C
  • 3pm 28C
  • 4pm 28C
  • 5pm 28C
  • 6pm 28C
  • 7pm 28C
  • 8pm 27C
  • 9pm 25C
  • 10pm 24C
  • 11pm 24C
  • Midnight 23C

Bournemouth hosepipe ban

The ongoing dry conditions, combined with last month’s record-breaking heatwave, have depleted rivers, reservoirs and aquifers and dried up soils, hitting agriculture, water supplies and wildlife and raising the risk of wildfires.

Declaring drought will see the Environment Agency and water companies implementing more of their plans to manage the impacts of low water levels, which can include actions such as hosepipe bans.

Four water companies in England and Wales have already brought in hosepipe bans or have signalled their intention to do so.

Bournemouth Echo: Hosepipe bans in the south of England. Picture: PAHosepipe bans in the south of England. Picture: PA

BCP customers have already been encouraged by Bournemouth Water to use the resource “responsibly”, saying their plans are under constant review.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson said: “While we have no immediate plans to implement water restrictions, the long period of unprecedented hot and dry weather we are experiencing means we are constantly reviewing our position and the extremely high levels of demand we are seeing.

“Overall, we are confident that we have sufficient water in our reservoirs and rivers. However, continued high demand and low rainfall will put strain on these precious resources.

"We always ask customers to think about their water usage and we are now urging customers to avoid non-essential water use such as filling paddling pools and using a hosepipe in the garden and for washing cars.”