What a difference a year makes! Photos reveal luscious green grass where it lay brown and scorched 365 days ago when the UK was sweltering in record-breaking 40C heat

• READ MORE: Thunderstorm and wind on the way with yellow weather warnings 

What a difference a year makes with green spaces across Britan looking lush this summer compared to last August when they turned to dust during the 40C drought.

Parks, gardens, cricket pitches, sports grounds and golf courses in the UK turned into bowls of dust last summer following weeks of exceptionally hot weather.

But aerial pictures taken by drone this week show that this year’s unusually wet July means the lawns are looking green and luscious.

Football and rugby pitches in Ely, Cambridgeshire, became dry and parched in last summer’s blazing temperatures but this August they look dramatically different, with green grass replacing the dirt.

The course at Newmarket golf club in Suffolk, which looked brown and drab last August, also boasts a green lawn – after England’s rainfall in July this year was up around 75 per cent on average.

What a difference a year makes: Aerial images show scorched earth at the Cambridge University sports grounds (left) compared with lush lawns one year later (right)

Pictures from August 2022 show shrivelled lawns at King College’s Cambridge during the summer drought 

Images taken today (August 1) show green lawns outside King’s College Cambridge

The cricket pitch at Grantchester near Cambridge and the Cambridge University’s sports grounds looked brown and parched last year after the ground dried up in the sun, but this summer they look healthy after some parts of the country received almost double their usual July rainfall.

The green spaces in Britain suffered last summer after parts of England had their driest July since records began.

South east and central southern England saw an average of only 5mm of rain in July, while East Anglia had 5.4mm.

England as a whole saw an average of 23.1mm, the lowest figure for the month since 1935 and the seventh lowest July total on record.

The Cambridge University’s sports grounds looked brown and parched last year after the ground dried up 

This summer Cambridge University’s sports grounds look healthy after some parts of the country received almost double their usual July rainfall

It is in contrast to this July in which England saw more than four times as much rain as last July – with 108mm falling.

The unsettled weather is set to continue into August, according to the Met Office, with showers and longer spells of rain expected this week.

With generally cloudy and breezy conditions from the Atlantic, temperatures will also remain on the cool side.

A deep low-pressure system will rapidly approach from the west tomorrow, crossing the UK on Wednesday and bringing another day of unseasonably wet and windy conditions, lasting into Thursday.

This brings a mix of rain and showers quite widely, and some very strong winds especially for south and south-western coasts.

Sports pitches were arid and parched in last summer’s blazing temperatures. Pictured: Cambridge University’s sports grounds

This August they look dramatically different, with green grass replacing the dirt. Pictured: Cambridge University’s sports grounds

Aerial images show the arid soil at the Newnham College Cambridge (left) compared with healthy looking lawns one year later (right)

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Ramsdale, said: ‘On Wednesday there is a chance of impacts both from rainfall and strong winds. Persistent rain feeding into eastern part of northern England in particular, sees the risk of some surface water flooding.

‘There is also the potential for some heavy and thundery showers, which could be slow moving in places with a risk of hail, across central and southern areas. The stronger winds however are more limited to the south coast.

‘With the school holidays underway and many families planning outdoor activities the unseasonably strong winds could also have an impact.

Last year, Cambridge Rugby Club’s lawns looked burned and in need of a good watering

This year, Cambridge Rugby Club’s lawns look vibrant thanks to an unusually wet summer

‘While many coastal areas will see breezy conditions at times through the week, some strong or even gale force winds are possible along coastal areas of the south and south-west through Wednesday in particular.’

He said there were no signs of any warmer or more settled weather throughout the rest of August, with the unsettled regime looking most likely to continue to dominate at least for the first half of the month.

He said the greatest chance of seeing any brief, drier and slightly warmer interludes, would most likely be later in August.

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