Read our Privacy noticeHalf of England has been declared officially in drought, as farmers warn the extreme conditions and record-breaking heatwaves are making it “harder, riskier and more costly” to produce food. open image in gallery A Met Office map shows how dry the country has become this year ( Met Office )“You feel helpless,” he said. He said: “Climate change is now taking us into uncharted territory, with two consecutive summers of drought hammering farmers, wildlife and our public water supplies. Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick told The Independent that high pressure was going to be the dominant factor for much of August and the first half of September. The UK and England record, set on 26 June, came from the same station – Lingwood in Norfolk – as the provisional reading, the Met Office said.