Drought forces water restrictions across nearly 70 percent of France

Nearly 70 percent of France is subject to water-use restrictions - and 30,000 people have lost their drinking water supplies - as drought conditions worsen amid successive heatwaves, the government said on Monday.

Two-thirds of France’s groundwater reserves are below normal levels.

A series of heatwaves over the past three months, compounded by drought, have broken temperature records, caused thousands of excess deaths, and fuelled massive wildfires.

The UK has already been hit by brutal dry spells, and for many across the country the warm weather and lack of rain is set to continue, bringing with it hosepipe bans