England drought: Firefighters battle blaze in Leytonstone, east London

Fires have broken out across the nation amid tinder-dry conditions and unprecedented heat.Official droughts have been declared in eight areas of southern and central England, and several grasslands have caught alight in these zones and beyond following the driest summer in half a century.Five fire engines and about 35 firefighters have been tackling a two-hectare grass fire on Whipps Cross Road in Leytonstone, Waltham Forest.London Fire Brigade (LFB) crews have been captured beating back the flames at the scene of the blaze at the Leyton Flats wildlife reserve in east London.The service has also warned of a blaze in Merton, in the south east of the capital, where four engines and about 25 firefighters have been deployed.Meanwhile, more than 100 miles north in Derbyshire, emergency services have warned they are currently tackling three “significant” infernos.