Last month, England and Wales saw the driest July since records began in 1836 - while for southern England, it was the driest month ever recorded.

South-east England received 1% of the expected average rainfall for July, while some parts of Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex have not had a rain day for 59 days.

All of England is experiencing pressure on water resources, the National Drought Group said.

Farmers have reported reduced output after their earliest harvests in 20 years, with the National Farmers Union (NFU) warning that continued dry weather could lead to some food shortages.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said yields of wheat and oats were "very, very poor" this year and warned livestock farmers have had to use their winter feed rations because they have been unable to grow grass.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said the government is working to make it easier for farmers to build more on-site irrigation reservoirs, which capture and hold water.

Only 14% of England's rivers are considered to be at normal levels, while 22% are "exceptionally low" - including the River Avon in south-west England and the River Ely Ouse in eastern England.

The Environment Agency has warned that low water levels have resulted in potential navigation issues for boats on the Thames, Lark and Ouse.

Reservoir levels have also continued to decline, with almost all across England below normal and five classed as "exceptionally low", according to the agency.

Warmer water is putting fish under "severe stress," Head of Fisheries at the Angling Trust Mark Owen said, as it holds less dissolved oxygen.

Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, said the UK is "not prepared at all" for the prolonged dry weather.

"We're seeing right now with the impacts on farming from this drought and the extreme heat we're experiencing, our infrastructure, our agricultural sector and lots of areas of the economy are not really ready for the weather we now have and how that weather will change up to 2050," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.