People were left horrified after comparing two photos taken weeks apart in Regent’s Park as it showed the ‘worrying’ toll the current heatwave and drought has taken
So far, 2026 has been a record-breaking dry one. With several heatwaves and the lack of rain, it has prompted widespread wildfires and hosepipe bans for millions of people. And London is no different.
The hot weather has had significant effects on various beauty spots around the city, as half of England and the whole of Wales are officially in drought. While it might be difficult to truly notice the effects in your day-to-day life, one Reddit user decided to compare two photos taken just weeks apart in Regent’s Park, and it’s left others horrified.
“Regent’s Park today versus less than two months ago, they wrote on the post as they went on to show the two drastically different photos.
The photos were both taken by the Gloucester Gate entry of the park. While the photo taken on the 7th June this year showed the vibrant green grass with equally as green trees around it, however the shot from 2nd August painted a different picture.
Instead of the green grass, it had turned brown, while the trees and bushes around it were drooping due to the lack of water and rainfall.
“Damn, we really need a good splash of rain, to help our natural environment,” one person said in the comment section. Someone added: “We were there at the open air theatre yesterday. Huge parts of it aren’t even dry grass anymore, it’s all been worn away and now it’s just dust.”
“I miss the rain,” another said, to which the poster replied: “Never thought we’d be saying that in London.”
Drought declared in London
A “flash drought” was declared on July 29 for the whole of London due to the very low rainfall and high temperatures as we are in the middle of the fourth heatwave of the year, the Environment Agency revealed.
Meanwhile a drought is a natural period of dryer-than-normal conditions, usually defined by a lack of rainfall which is sometimes combined with higher temperatures.
The areas affected not only included the whole of London, but also East Anglia, Hertfordshire, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex – covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
This is the third drought in five years, having previously been declared in 2022, 2025 and now 2026.
Due to the drought, combination of falling water levels in reservoirs and more water has been used thanks to the hot weather, it means a hosepipe ban has been declared in the majority of London.
This means it’s also not allowed to use hosepipes to water any plants or grass outside – leading to parks like Regent’s Park having a noticeable reactions to the hot weather and lack of rain.
