Dustbowl UK

SCORCHER GOES ON. MILLIONS FACE HOSE BAN WITH RIVERS CRITICALLY LOW. BRITS TO SWELTER AS 300 HEATWAVE HITS NEXT WEEK. DROUGHT FEARS GROW AS THAMES SOURCE DRIES UP

- LUCY THORNTON

DRY ME A RIVER

Thames source has moved five miles away. Bans on hosepipes as 30C heat predicted.

WITH a drought looking ever more likely and another heatwave next week, even the source of the River Thames has dried up as parts of Britain turn into a dust bowl.

Millions of people are facing hosepipe bans after the driest July in decades left river levels "critically low", with temperatures expected to rise above 30C in some areas this week.

Experts say it follows a "prolonged heat spell", the step just before a drought is declared.

Dr Rob Collins, Rivers Trust director of policy and science, said of the famous river: "Following the prolonged dry weather, the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire has dried up, with a weak flow just about discernible more than five miles downstream at Somerford Keynes."

The Met Office say there is "very little meaningful rain on the horizon for the parched areas of England still recovering from the UK's new record-high temperature of 40.3C reached at Coningsby, Lincs, on July 19.

Forecaster Stephen Dixon warned yesterday: "There's a chance some areas could reach heatwave conditions next week.

"Over the next few days we will see the building of heat especially in the south. We are looking at high 20s and low 30s for Tuesday and Wednesday. The north will also see plenty of sunshine and some dry and fine weather.

"The temperatures don't look likely to get anywhere near extreme values we saw in July. This is a fairly typical UK summer warm spell.

"What's noticeable is the lack of rain through July and into early August and that's on top of a relatively dry first six months of the year."