DEVON experienced its driest July since 1871 as almost three-quarters of England has been declared to be in drought, the Environment Agency has announced.

Just 6.8mm of rain fell across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly during July – only eight per cent of the area's average rainfall for the month.

The record dry conditions come as the National Drought Group warns that water resources are under increasing pressure across the country.

The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and South Downs were the latest areas to move into drought status.

Combined with areas already declared to be in drought, including Devon, 71.3 per cent of England is now affected by what the Environment Agency describes as a ‘flash drought’ – a rapid onset of drought caused by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures.

The latest figures mean around 45 million people are now living in a drought area, while more than 27 million people are under restrictions on water use.

The North East and Yorkshire have also moved into ‘prolonged dry weather’, the stage immediately before drought.

No part of England is now classed as being in normal status.

The changes follow England's driest July since records began in 1836, with only five per cent of expected rainfall recorded so far in August.

Ben Johnstone, of the Environment Agency, said more parts of England had now joined Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in drought.

’Signs of stress in the environment are still prominent in the form of algal blooms on tidal estuaries being mistaken for sewage and fish dying in hot waters with little to no flow’, he said.

‘Our officers remain busy preventing things from getting worse.

‘They are dismantling illegal dams built in rivers, carrying out fish rescue operations and asking landowners with boreholes to see if they need a licence’, he added.