A rainy front will begin to sweep down from Northern Ireland and Scotland towards the south of England and Wales on Monday, the Met Office has said, as Wessex Water announces a hosepipe ban
Parts of the UK could face flooding this week as heavy rain is predicted to lash drought-ridden areas – coinciding with another water company declaring a hosepipe ban.
The Met Office has stated that some regions will experience the “first meaningful rain for a long time”, following weeks of heatwaves and dry spells which have led to water shortages in numerous areas.
A rainy front is set to descend from Northern Ireland and Scotland towards southern England and Wales on Monday, marking the start of a wetter week with cooler temperatures more typical for this time of year, according to the Met Office.
Furthermore, heavy showers are anticipated across the UK on Thursday, bypassing some regions but potentially causing surface flooding in areas where the rainfall is particularly heavy.
This shift in weather follows the UK’s fifth summer heatwave, which saw the year’s highest temperature recorded at Kew Gardens, London, last Thursday when the mercury hit 38.1C. The expected rain may provide some much-needed respite for scorched land and firefighters battling wildfires.
However, it’s unlikely to alleviate the widespread drought conditions that have placed immense strain on wildlife, farmers, transport, emergency services infrastructure and water resources.
Wessex Water became the most recent utility company to impose a hosepipe ban on Monday, attributing the decision to increased demand during the dry spell and longer-term weather predictions necessitating resource conservation for customers and the environment.
It marks the first occasion the company has imposed such restrictions in 50 years – since the summer of 1976. The company announced the temporary usage ban would take effect on Tuesday for all 1.4 million customers it serves across Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.
More than 27 million people throughout England have now faced hosepipe restrictions in their regions. Mike Silverstone, the Met Office’s deputy chief forecaster, said: “Many areas in England and Wales are desperate for rain, this week some of these areas will see the first meaningful rain for a long time.”
Mr Silverstone explained that Monday evening would see downpours extending further south to western regions of England and Wales as the primary weather front moves into the North Sea.
Throughout Tuesday, showers are anticipated to persist across northern areas, particularly in the North West, with another band of rainfall expected to reach the South West by evening.
This will then probably extend eastward across the South, delivering the first period of widespread precipitation to the most parched areas, he continued.
“Thursday will be a day of heavy showers across much of the UK, while some of these will be heavy, some areas will miss them altogether,” Mr Silverstone said. “As some of these showers could be intense, there is a chance of some surface water flooding as the rain falls on very dry and hard ground.”
Come Friday, conditions are anticipated to become drier again through the weekend, with next week predicted to bring further rainfall. Ruth Jefferson, Wessex Water’s chief executive, said the firm was reaching out to major business customers who use large volumes of water to urge them to cut non-essential usage and was asking households to make simple changes like taking quicker showers and allowing lawns to turn brown.
She said: “After 50 years without a hosepipe ban in the Wessex Water region, the first since the famous drought of 1976, this isn’t a decision we’ve made lightly and we’re sorry for the inconvenience it will cause.
“But the prolonged and extreme dry weather has meant demand across our region has consistently remained at more than 400 million litres per day, 30% above average for this time of year and the equivalent of almost half a million hosepipes running for a full hour every day.”
Meanwhile, wildfires have torn through parts of the UK, including in the West Midlands, where flames in Stourbridge destroyed 19 homes. Multiple fire services have urged people to only dial 999 to report genuine emergencies.
In an update on Monday, the National Fire Chiefs Council said 1,132 wildfires have now been recorded across England and Wales in 2026 so far – a record high for the amount between January and this time of year.
A total of 1,132 wildfires have now been recorded across England and Wales in 2026, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has said. Phil Garrigan, NFCC chairman, described the progress as “encouraging” as firefighters battle the fires, but warned that the country was “not out of this yet”.
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