Heatwave brings mixed blessings to West Berks

Thatcham weather watcher Richard Crumley confirmed a temperature of 32°C was recorded in Thatcham on Monday, along with 31°C in neighbouring Cold Ash.
“This has been the warmest spell since 2006, which had a record-breaking warm July,” said Mr Crumley, who continued that there had been no rain of any note, he said, since June 27, with only 0.9mm of rainfall this month to relieve parched gardens and appease farmers.
The Met Office issued a warning of thunderstorms across the South East from late Monday onwards, with the danger of flash floods, owing to hard ground conditions. The expected downpour, however, failed to materialise in Newbury and the surrounding area, despite lightning forks sparking across skies Monday evening.
However, Newbury town centre businesses are basking in a boom in ‘heatwave’ trade, including the Hogshead pub, Market Place. Duty manager Matthew Marsh,said yesterday that business had been “noticeably busier”.
He said: “It’s been a good time for us, a good couple of weeks, people are coming out during the daytime and early evening, rather than later .”
Staff at the Stone Building in the Wharf have also been extra busy, serving teas and ice-creams at The Teashop by the Canal and those seeking a horse-drawn day out on Newbury’s waterways during the sunny spell have increased bookings for the Kennet Horse Boat Company, according to co-owner Charlotte Butler:
“Coach trips are booked in advance, but there has been an increase in people telephoning to book something today, or tomorrow, so there has definitely been a positive effect on business,” said Mrs Butler.
Those feeling less positive effects of the heatwave over the last two weeks include South Central Ambulance Service, who have made a plea for emergency calls only to the 999 service, after responding to 4,412 emergency calls, 1,192 of which were life threatening, between July 19 and 21, across the four counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.
The figures represent a significant increase of 355, including 54 life threatening calls compared to an average weekend in June 2013.
The ambulance service received a total 592 hoax calls between January 1 and June 30 this year .