Britain needs a long-term strategy on tackling extreme weather conditions such as drought

The Government can no longer afford to be passive to the threat of drought, with almost three-quarters of England in “flash drought” as a dry start to August follows the country’s driest July on record.

The North East and Yorkshire have moved to “prolonged dry weather” status, the stage before drought, and nowhere in England is in “normal” status, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

With the Prime Minister facing questions on drought plans, this could well prove to be the first real big test of Andy Burnham’s leadership. Given there is likely to be little relief from soaring temperatures, Burnham must take charge and formulate a robust response to the challenges Britain faces now.

Parts of the country are already having to contend with wildfires and hosepipe bans. There is also the obvious impact on the environment, as well as food security.

While the immediate test for the Government will be how it responds to the current drought, Britain can ill-afford to continue with a reactive approach to extreme weather conditions.

As the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) points out the UK needs a fundamental rethink of how farmland is managed if it is to cope with increasingly severe floods, droughts and heatwaves driven by continued fossil fuel use.

Some may be tempted to dismiss this summer’s heatwaves as a rare event but that would be a grave mistake. Recent years have shown that extreme weather patterns are becoming a common occurrence.

Calling for Cobra meetings year after year is not going to be enough. A long-term structural plan that makes Britain more resilient is needed. A plan that is underpinned by science and data, that brings together all agencies that are required to respond to extreme weather.