Histon, just north of Cambridge, has been named the driest location in the UK this year, with residents saying the prolonged dry spell is causing dust-related breathing difficulties and leaving gardens scorched
Life in Britain’s driest village has been turned upside down by weeks of scorching temperatures and barely any rain, with residents describing the growing impact of the extreme conditions.
Histon, just north of Cambridge, has seen gardens turn brown, ponds shrink and sports grounds become increasingly difficult to maintain as the dry spell continues.
The village recorded 203.6mm of rainfall between January 1 and July 19, according to the Cambridgeshire weather station. That was less than the totals recorded in Shoeburyness, Essex, at 216.2mm, and Weybourne, Norfolk, at 219.2mm.
Cambridgeshire was among seven regions declared to be in drought by the Environment Agency last week, while a hosepipe ban has been in place across the Cambridge Water region since July 9.
And it is not just plants and playing fields feeling the effects.
Residents have described how the heat is affecting older people in particular, with some community activities having to be cancelled and others choosing to stay indoors.
Sally Smith, who manages the Older People’s Team for local charity HI Friends, told The i that the people they support include residents in their eighties and nineties, as well as some who are 100.
“We have people who are mostly in their eighties and nineties and a few who are 100, and they are very at risk from extreme heat. But the knock-on effect of us cancelling activities like lunch club is that their isolation increases and they really miss their activities and their friends.”
The charity runs activities including fitness classes, lunch clubs and shopping trips, but the unpredictable temperatures have made organising them more difficult.
Neil Davies, a parish councillor and charity manager for HI Friends, said: “It’s affected all aspects of the community,” adding that there had been “a real reluctance and a concern from our older residents not to go out of the comfort of their homes.”
The village’s recreation ground has also been forced to adapt to the conditions, with cracks appearing around the cricket wicket strip and tennis courts.
A staff representative from Histon and Impington Parish Council said: “The recreation ground has had to adapt for its sporting fixtures – we are only watering the areas that would cause a health and safety issue.”
There are now fears about whether the football pitch will be fit for the new season without substantial rainfall.
“We are concerned about the football season, unless we get some persistent rain soon, as the ground as it is would not be safe to play on.”
However, residents are also reporting a more personal consequence of the parched conditions.
Julie, a hairdresser in her fifties, told The i that the increase in dust has left people coughing more.
“All the mud has turned to dust and the lawns to straw. All of us are noticing that we’re coughing quite a lot. A lot of people who have got asthma are struggling more.”
The UK Health Security Agency has warned that drought can increase the amount of dust in the environment, which can potentially affect people with existing respiratory conditions. It advises people who use inhalers to carry them during hot and dry periods.
Julie has also been forced to rethink how she looks after her own garden.
“It’s been quite difficult having a large garden and trying to keep it alive.
“Obviously all the lawns are just straw and I’d never water them, but the pots and expensive plants have got to be kept alive, which we’re having to do with water butts.”
She has even been organising “watering parties”, with friends visiting to drink wine and help water her plants.
The extreme heat has also had a knock-on effect on her work. When temperatures reached 35C, seven clients cancelled their hair appointments in a single day.
Elsewhere in Histon, Julie Dunn, 62, said the dry conditions had dramatically changed the appearance of the village.
She said its duck pond was at the “lowest level” she had ever seen.
“It’s a very beautiful area, and it’s very pretty, but it doesn’t look at it’s best – it’s just brown and burnt,” she said.
Julie has been saving water from around her home so she can use it in the garden.
“The dry weather means I’m having to water and be very careful – we have a bucket in the shower, and we save all our grey water, and we use that for the garden. We always put a bucket in when we have a shower to get the excess – washing up water, we always put in the water butt to try and avoid filling our watering cans from the hose.”
The lack of rain is also producing unusual scenes elsewhere in the country.
Footage captured in Greenwich Park showed a dust devil swirling across the grass, picking up dust and hay as it travelled through the park.
Jimmy O’Keeffe, who filmed the phenomenon, said he was “shocked and in total disbelief” when it disturbed his picnic.
He said it lasted several minutes, with some people moving away as it passed and others heard screaming.
Another dust devil was spotted near Leeds Castle in Kent.
The small whirlwinds can form on hot, sunny days when rising air begins rotating and picks up loose material from the ground.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has warned that prolonged dry weather is putting pressure on water resources across England, with Cambridgeshire among the areas affected by drought.
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