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Story summary
- The National Fire Chiefs Council recorded 1,132 wildfires in England and Wales in 2026 and issued an emergency alert for high wildfire risk.
- The Environment Agency said drought now affects Wales and 45 million people in England, with July at 10 % and August at 6 % of average rainfall.
- Wessex Water imposed a hosepipe ban on 1.4 million customers in Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, the first such ban in 50 years.
