UK heatwave: Looking down on London's parched parks

As London bakes in another heatwave amid an official drought, we speak to a photographer who frequently rises above the noise and captures the city from another perspective.

Jason Hawkes has more than 30 years' experience of shooting from the sky, typically capturing aerial photographs once or twice a week.

"I don't think I've seen a summer when the grass in the parks is literally yellow like this, not that I can remember," he said.

"It's pretty amazing how green the trees are - that's equally surprising to me bearing in mind how hot it has been and how little rain there's been."

Indeed, the last measurable rainfall in St James' Park was on 21 July.

"If you look across a park from a distance they still look very green.

"It's only when you get above it that you notice the grass has died back to nothing.

"The strange thing is I was looking back at pictures I took a month ago. It was green."

What else did the photographer notice?

"I found interesting is how few people there are around apart from in parks.

"Even in the parks, normally it is rammed with people but there was almost nobody there because it was too hot and too dry."

To get the best shots, the 54-year-old straps into a big harness, his gear is tethered to various points and he leans right out of an open door of the helicopter.

"It was roasting - it was nice to have the door off."

His favourite image was taken overlooking Vauxhall at about 06:00 BST last month, shortly after sunrise.

"I like images which are a bit more atmospheric - it's a nice composition."

The 54-year-old says he enjoys the capital's changing seasons and the challenges posed by fog and nightfall.

"The flying bit is a really good laugh," he added.

All photographs courtesy of Jason Hawkes.

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