Britain has just been through one of the driest spells of summer on record, with more than two–thirds of England now in drought. 

And the impact this has had on our land can even be seen from space. 

The European Union has released satellite images, showing vast swathes of the country turning brown. 

The first set of images shows the south of England on 15 August 2025 and again on 13 August 2026. 

While last year's photo shows large areas covered in green grass, this year's image shows that patches of grass are few and far between.

Meanwhile, a before–and–after shot of London's Hyde Park shows the landmark almost entirely scorched. 

Thankfully, rain is on the way, according to the Met Office. 

'Rain is expected at times through the week ahead, with showers, longer spells of rain and even the risk of thunder in places,' it explained. 

The UK has just been through an intense dry spell, with a number of locations recording exceptionally long runs without rainfall.

'Wisley in Surrey has recorded 61 consecutive dry days, while Heathrow and Odiham have each gone 55 days without meaningful rain,' the Met Office explained. 

'Several other locations across southern England have recorded dry spells lasting more than six weeks.'

As a result, officials have declared that 71.3 per cent of England is now in drought. 

The first set of images released by the EU was taken by the Copernicus Sentinel–3 – a satellite that measures Earth's oceans, land, rivers and lakes, land ice, sea–ice and atmosphere. 

In the first photo – taken on 15 August last year – large parts of London, Southampton, and much of Wales are covered in green grass. 

However, in the second snap – taken on 13 August this year – the majority of land is brown. 

The second set of images was taken by the Copernicus Sentinel–2, and shows London's Hyde Park on 17 August 2025 and and 13 August 2026.

Again, you can see extensive grass browning in this year's image, compared to last year's one. 

'Over the summer of 2026, dry conditions have been affecting the United Kingdom,' the EU explained. 

'According to the European Drought Observatory (EDO), 25% of the territory of England was in Alert conditions and 65% in Warning at the end of July 2026.'

While there's finally rain forecast in the UK this week, the Met Office says we should be 'cautious about how much impact it will have.'

'Many of the wettest periods this week are expected to come in the form of showers rather than prolonged, steady rain,' it explained. 

'Showers can be highly variable, with some places receiving significant amounts of rain while neighbouring locations see very little. 

'Heavy downpours can also run off very dry ground rather than soaking deeply into the soil.'