Seven areas of England are now in a drought after a hot and dry summer with low rainfall. As well as the Thames Valley counties, East Anglia, Hertfordshire, the whole of Londonm Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are all in drought in the south east. There have now been three droughts in the past five years, including 2022, 2025 and 2026. This comes after back-to-back record-breaking heatwaves, with temperatures expected to rocket into the mid-30s again today. Thames Water temporary hosepipe ban is in place (Image: Pexels)Multiple postcodes across Berkshire and neighbouring counties are affected by Thames Water's temporary hosepipe ban, which came into force last Thursday (July 23).