Britain so badly scorched by heatwave it has turned from green to brown in satellite photographs

Satellite imagery has revealed how the UK’s heatwave and drought has changed its appearance.

A photo taken in May shows the country covered in Green, but another recent image shows it reduced to a shade of brown.

The longest heatwave Britain has experienced in 42 years saw just 47mm of rainfall between 1 June to 16 July.

It makes it the driest start to summer on modern records, which date back to 1961.

Britain could see its hottest summer on record this year if above average temperatures continue, according to the Met Office.

Even if the rest of the summer is average, it will “certainly rank in the top 10 warmest summers on record,” the national weather service said.

However, a spokesperson for the Met Office cautioned: “It is important to remember we are only half way through the season, and a lot can change.”

The heatwave has led to falling water levels in a reservoir in Dartmoor, Devon, revealing a "drowned village" which has been submerged for more than a century.

It has also exposed previously undiscovered or long-hidden outlines of various archaeological sites, from ancient fortifications to remnants of the Second World War, across the country.

While the UK will be mostly dry with sunny spells on Thursday, the Met Office warned that rain will reach northwest Scotland during the afternoon.

On Friday it will be cloudy with rain across the north and west and perhaps thunderstorms in the southeast.

However, it will be drier and brighter at the weekend.