In pictures: How baking hot summer has turned London and commuter belt's lush green parks yellow

A baking summer, accompanied by weeks and weeks without rain, is leaving parks and fields around the capital and the southeast looking yellow and parched.Heat health alerts have been upgraded to amber in London between 9am on Wednesday and 9am on Thursday, with temperatures as high as 35C currently forecast by the Met Office.An aerial view of irrigated fields at Millwall's training ground contrasts the dried grass in Beckenham ParkGettyPeople play cricket on a lone patch of green grass surrounded by parched land at Victoria Park in east London (Ben Whitley/PA)PA WireGreenwich Park on July 10, 2026GettyIt is set to be the fourth time this summer that temperatures reach heatwave levels in the capital, following record-breaking temperatures for the month in both May and June and another significant hot spell in mid-July.The dry and hot conditions have resulted in Thames Water imposing a hosepipe ban for over 10 million customers.An aerial view shows the parched, dry and yellow grass on the fairways of Sutton Green Golf Club, south-west of LondonAFP/GettySutton Green Golf ClubAFP/GettyAs of Thursday, hosepipes should not be used for watering gardens, cleaning cars or windows, or filling paddling pools, hot tubs or swimming pools across London, the Thames Valley and the Home Counties.Thames Water became the latest in a number of utilities to have announced temporary use bans in recent weeks, with around 23 million people across England now under or facing restrictions. An aerial view of Warren Park playing fieldsGettyDried grass on football pitches at Warren Park playing fields in LondonGettyParts of southern, central and eastern England remain in "prolonged dry weather", the final stage before drought is declared. In the driest spots, there has been below 2% of the average July rainfall. An aerial view shows the green square and parched, dry and yellow grass on the cricket field of Maidenhead & Bray CCAFP/GettyThe London heatwave has dried out the grass in Greenwich ParkGettyA report from the Met Office says that weather once regarded as extreme is now the new normalGettyThe capital is also braced for further wildfires, with the Met Office claiming that fires could be exceptionally severe if they start in parts of London this week as a result of the conditions.London Fire Brigade (LFB) has just endured another busy weekend, with more than 1,300 incidents including grass fires and property fires.Read MoreLFB has urged people to avoid disposable barbecues, dispose of smoking materials and put litter in the bin or take it home to avoid starting wildfires.