England has had its joint hottest summer on record, the Met Office has confirmed.

The data means it ties with 2018 as having the highest temperatures on record, surpassing all but one stretching back to 1884.

Extreme heat combined with low rainfall has plunged the country into drought conditions.

The mercury passed the 40C for the first time ever and put the country on high alert for wildfires.

It’s the latest record to tumble after a couple of months which have delighted sun worshipers but worried people who want more to be done to tackle climate change.

The news means that four of the five warmest summers on record for England have occurred since 2003.

The hottest day ever and driest July on record are among other milestones to be topped this summer.

The Met Office said in a statement: ‘In England the warm and dry conditions have been more notable, with the mean temperature the joint warmest ever recorded equalling that of summer 2018.’

The Met Office warned yesterday the UK could be seeing a lasting change to its summer weather patterns, carrying a higher risk of drought.

Autumns could be warmed and drier too from the mid-2020s onwards, climate modelling suggested, but the risk of extreme rain will also rise.

Drought is gripping much of Europe, fuelling forest fires, drying up rivers and devastating crops.

Almost half of the 27-nation EU is under drought warning, with conditions worsening in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain.

Officials are hoping for a wet winter to replenish rivers, lakes, groundwater and reservoirs to normal levels by spring but have warned planning should begin now on how to manage shortfalls next year if the coming months are dry.

Six water companies – Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, South West Water and Welsh Water – have implemented or announced hosepipe bans.

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