A LOCATION in Gloucestershirehas been named as one of the driest places in England according to the Met Office. 

The national weather service has found ten places that have experienced less than 250mm of rain since November 2021 and one of them is located in Gloucestershire.

Hartpury College in Gloucestershire as well as Bognor Regis, West Sussex, Wisley, Surrey, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Shoeburyness, Essex, Manston, Kent, Writtle, Essex, Oxford and Kew Gardens, London have all been named as the driest places in England. 

According to the Met Office the average annual rainfall in Gloucestershire is 839mm, West Sussex is 891mm, and Surrey 780mm. 

Elsewhere, Oxfordshire averages 702mm, Cambridgeshire 583mm, Essex 594mm, Kent 719mm and Greater London 650mm.

People living in some of the driest places in England have also spoken of the challenges they are facing amid scorching weather and a scarcity of rainfall. 

Sizzling heat, exceeding 40C for the first time on record in the UK in July, combined with England’s driest eight months from November to June since 1976, has turned green spaces tinder-dry. 

Odiham, a village in Hampshire, had no rain last month, according to the Met Office – with farmers, florists and the local cricket club forced to adapt to the parched conditions.

Cara Evans, bar and events manager for the Odiham and Greywell Cricket Club, said grounds officials have had to water the wicket at least once a day to ensure it is safe to play on the hardened ground.

She told the PA news agency: “The drought has meant that we’ve had to water that wicket so much more often than we would normally have to do, and to try and keep it green and safe to play on.”

A local farmer, who did not wish to be named, estimated he has had to spend 50% more on food for his cattle this year compared to 2021. 

His cows normally graze on the grass in his fields, but this has been unable to grow in the arid conditions.