A drought has been declared across the whole of Wales. The declaration was made by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the country's environment body, on Thursday.
The decision was made in response to record-low river levels, dry soils, widespread wildfires, and impacts on wildlife, farming and forestry. Sustained high temperatures were causing the condition of the natural environment to deteriorate.
Wales is on course for its driest July on record in 190 years. NRW had already announced a drought across the north and parts of mid Wales the previous week.
The nationwide drought announcement is expected to trigger more monitoring of rivers and stronger advice for the public on use of water. Reports indicate that a drought was declared for half of England a day before the Wales-wide announcement, following record-low rainfall and prolonged high temperatures.