Places across England are suffering from “flash drought” as a result of very low rainfall and high temperatures, the Environment Agency has said. The government agency said seven areas have been declared as officially in drought. The UK and England record, set on June 26, came from the same station – Lingwood in Norfolk – as the provisional reading, the Met Office said. Wessex Water is reassuring customers that its resources are “in a stable position” following the wet winter. A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “There is currently no prospect of a hosepipe ban in the Wessex Water region.