North Hampshire village named as one of the driest places in England
Odiham hasn't recorded any rain for a month
Odiham, in north 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.
The Met Office has also identified 10 locations that have experienced less than 250mm of rain since November 2021.
They are Hartpury College, Gloucestershire, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, Wisley, Surrey, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Shoeburyness, Essex, Manston, Kent, Writtle, Essex, Oxford and Kew Gardens, London.
Cara Evans, bar and events manager for the Odiham and Greywell Cricket Club, said:
“The drought has meant that we’ve had to water the 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.
Elsewhere, Branching Out, a family run florist in Wallingford just north of Reading has been inundated with orders for summer weddings as the nation’s couples rush to get married following the coronavirus backlog.
However, florist Fliss, says that the shop has had to buy smaller deliveries to deal with the heat.
“We usually get quite large deliveries of flowers, but because of the heat we have had to get smaller,” she said.
“(The heat) affects what we buy, we have to be super careful with stock.
“We probably get quarter the amount of flowers, but more regularly than normal.
“We have been very cautious with what we’re buying, so buying things that last longer.”
The shop had several fans running simultaneously amid the 29C heat on Monday afternoon.
“This is for the flowers, not necessarily for us,” Fliss said.