Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is using water from a private lake to keep his lawns green during a record-breaking UK drought and hosepipe ban. Around 27 million Britons are currently subject to hosepipe restrictions, while 45 million people live in designated drought areas. A long yellow pipe was photographed extending from Oliver's Essex garden to his personal pond to maintain the grounds.
The 51-year-old chef bought his Grade I listed 12-bedroom property for £6 million in 2019. The 70-acre estate features a large personal lake just a short distance from the mansion. Under hosepipe ban regulations, exemptions allow property owners to use hosepipes if the water is drawn from a private source such as a lake, pond, spring, or well.
Celebrity Estates in West Sussex and Essex
Other high-profile figures have faced greater difficulties keeping their grounds green. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, 82, has managed to maintain a small central garden at his West Sussex pad, but the rest of his grass remains dry and brown. With no visible private water source on the Redlands Estate, Richards cannot access exemptions from the county's hosepipe ban, which took effect on July 25.
Richards has owned the West Sussex property for decades after persuading its previous owner, a retired naval officer, to sell. The estate gained national attention in 1967 when police arrested Richards and bandmate Mick Jagger there during a drug raid. Today, large trees surround the estate, providing partial shade from the summer heat.
In Essex, 81-year-old singer Sir Rod Stewart has maintained bright green lawns across his 18th-century Grade II-listed mansion. Stewart purchased the ten-bedroom home for £4.65 million in 2013 and moved in with his wife, Penny Lancaster, in 2016. The estate features a mini golf course with a fairway, two bunkers, and a green putting surface, as well as an artificial football pitch with a 20-space car park.
Affinity Water, which supplies Stewart's property, imposed a hosepipe ban across its central region on July 17. Eight other water companies have also introduced bans that prohibit customers from using hosepipes to water gardens or wash cars, patios, and boats. There is no evidence Stewart has breached restrictions, as watering cans and private source exemptions remain permitted.
Record Temperatures and UK Drought Impact
Drought conditions now cover all of Wales and nearly three-quarters of England as the UK heads toward its hottest summer on record. Provisional data from June 1 to August 10 shows a mean UK temperature of 16.48C, which is 1.88C above the 1991 to 2020 average. To surpass the previous record of 16.12C set in 2025, temperatures during the remainder of August only need to stay within 0.21C below the long-term average.
England recorded a mean temperature of 18.19C over the same period, standing 2.46C above average and topping its 2025 record of 17.44C. Wales registered a mean temperature of 16.80C, which is 2.17C above average compared to its 2025 mark of 16.09C.
- UK: Mean temperature of 16.48C (+1.88C difference from average; previous record 16.12C in 2025).
- England: Mean temperature of 18.19C (+2.46C difference from average; previous record 17.44C in 2025).
- Wales: Mean temperature of 16.80C (+2.17C difference from average; previous record 16.09C in 2025).
Dry weather has transformed landscapes across the country, affecting agricultural land and public spaces alike. Aerial and ground images show dry fields at Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, alongside dirt paths and scorched grass on Parliament Hill at Hampstead Heath. Visitors at Richmond Park in London were seen walking across dried-up stream beds.
Property entrepreneur Sarah Beeny has also adhered to local restrictions at her £3 million custom-built Somerset estate near Wincanton. The grass surrounding her house, which featured on the Channel 4 television series Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country, appears completely dry.
Submerged Village Exposed and Top Heat Records
Receding water levels at Rutland Water reservoir in the East Midlands have exposed the ruins of Nether Hambleton, a village flooded half a century ago. More than 3,000 acres of land were submerged in the 1970s to create what was then Europe's largest man-made lake, requiring local residents to relocate. Stonework and building outlines are now visible in the valley between the Hambleton peninsula to the north and the hamlet of Lyndon to the south.
Before its submersion, Nether Hambleton contained 18th-century homes and productive agricultural land. Local farms grew barley that was exported to Germany for lager brewing, as well as wheat purchased by Hovis for bread production.
The current heatwave comes as Britain records two of its top ten hottest days during June 2026. The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK remains 40.3C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19, 2022. The top ten hottest days recorded in Britain are:
- 1. 40.3C: July 19, 2022 at Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
- 2. 38.7C: July 25, 2019 at Cambridge.
- 3. 38.5C: August 10, 2003 at Faversham, Kent.
- 4. 38.2C: July 18, 2022 at Pitsford, Northamptonshire.
- 5. 38.0C: June 26, 2026 at Lingwood, Norfolk.
- 6. 37.8C: July 31, 2020 at London Heathrow.
- 7. 37.1C: August 3, 1990 at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
- 8 (tied). 36.7C: August 9, 1911 at Raunds, Northamptonshire.
- 8 (tied). 36.7C: July 1, 2015 at London Heathrow.
- 8 (tied). 36.7C: June 25, 2026 at Merryfield, Somerset.
Extreme Heat Warnings and Weather Forecast
Some regions in Hampshire and West Sussex have gone without rainfall for 59 consecutive days, with forecasts predicting no rain for the coming week. Temperatures are set to build toward a peak of 38C (100F) on Thursday during the sixth heatwave of the year. Reaching 38C would tie the joint fifth hottest day on record in Britain, matching the temperature recorded at Lingwood, Norfolk, on June 26.
The Met Office has issued a 15-hour amber extreme heat warning for central and southern England, running from 9am until midnight on Thursday. This marks only the second extreme heat alert issued in four years, following a warning during the June heatwave. Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said: "While the peak heat will be more short-lived than recent heatwaves, temperatures widely into the mid-30Cs on Thursday bring the potential for impacts for some, which is why a Met Office warning has been issued. High pressure is now becoming dominant and temperatures will build day-by-day. Southerly and south-easterly winds will also tap into the hot conditions over Europe, which helps develop this further notable heat in what has been a hot and dry summer so far."
The UK Health Security Agency activated amber heat health alerts across much of England through Friday, warning of a potential rise in deaths. Government officials have urged the public to stay safe by drinking plenty of water, checking on vulnerable friends and family, and avoiding the sun at the hottest part of the day.
The ongoing weather pattern follows four previous heatwaves this summer, including two in May and June that caused more than 2,800 deaths. The extreme weather has sparked wildfires, including a blaze in New Forest National Park that originated in a van before spreading to heathland. July rainfall varied wildly, registering just 1 percent of average levels in the South East and 26 percent in the North West. Farmers have warned of a "brutal harvest" for crops, a lack of livestock feed, and subsequent food price inflation.
Although cooler air and rain are expected over the weekend, meteorologists caution that it will not offset the severe rainfall deficit. Sarah Davies, head of environment and energy at the Met Office, said: "Forecasts for the remainder of August and into September suggest a good deal of dry weather is expected, mixed with some unsettled spells. While some areas may see useful rainfall at times, there is currently no strong signal for a sustained period of widespread rainfall, with below-average rainfall more likely than above-average for the period as a whole."
