Parts of England under heat alert with 30C possible

Scorched, parched grass on Wimbledon Common, London. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Scorched, parched grass on Wimbledon Common, London. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock Parts of England under heat alert with 30C possible Warning in place until Sunday morning in southern and central regions after drought declared in parts of Wales Heat alerts are in place across parts of England , with officials saying temperatures are likely to have an impact on health and wellbeing. The yellow heat health alerts issued for the East Midlands, east of England, London, south-east, south-west and West Midlands are in place until 9am on Sunday. Temperatures in the affected areas are forecast to reach the mid- to high 20s, with a high of 30C a possibility, as a prolonged period of dry, warm weather continues in much of the country. The heat health warning from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) comes after drought was declared in north Wales and the upper Severn region, following record dry conditions, heatwaves, wildfires and dwindling rivers. It was the first part of the UK to declare drought status amid a summer of record-breaking heatwaves. Many parts of England have had prolonged dry weather as the country has received just 3% of its average July rainfall. Hosepipe bans are in place for 23 million customers and suppliers are warning they may last all summer. Wildfires have been raging in England, while Scotland has also been hit by a major fire in the Cairngorms. In Ireland, a nationwide hosepipe ban is in place. This summer’s dry conditions follow last year’s drought summer, as the UK increasingly faces more extreme weather fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly from burning fossil fuels. View image in fullscreen A grassfire in Swansea, in south Wales. Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images The Met Office said temperatures could reach 30C in parts of south-east England on Friday while parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland will see patches of cloud. The forecaster Craig Snell said outbreaks of rain would move southwards on Saturday, spreading from Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England and parts of Wales. By Sunday, temperatures were expected to turn “fresher” across much of the UK, with rain possible in “areas that haven’t seen much” over the past few weeks, he added. The heat alerts are in place at the beginning of a period in which millions of motorists are expected to take to the roads for summer getaways. The AA said about 6.3 million drivers were planning a road trip of more than 100 miles between Friday and next Thursday. The port of Dover is expecting another busy weekend but has worked to smooth any delays caused by new EU border checks. On Friday morning, the port posted on X that there was a 40-minute processing time in the buffer zone, the area where traffic may be held in lanes while waiting to pass through French border and security checks. The ferry company DFDS said its waiting times