Spring officially the wettest on record

Thames Water said this remarkable turnaround had safeguarded water supplies for its 9m customers this summer, following below average rainfall in 20 of the 25 months until April.
Since Thames Water introduced a hosepipe ban on April 5 the heavens opened, in fact the Met Office has now confirmed it has been the wettest spring on record.
In April, Berkshire saw 136.6mm of rainfall, 272 per cent more than the average rainfall for the month.
Only 21.3mm of rain fell in May, compared to the 44.72mm average, but that was made up for in June and July with a total of 206.2mm rainfall compared to the average of 97.24mm.
This has helped replenish local rivers, such as the River Kennet and River Pang, which both dried up along their upper reaches before Christmas.
In the Kennet flows are now at 191 per cent of the average versus 33 per cent in April; meanwhile the Pang flows are now at 146 per cent of the average versus 23 per cent three months ago.
The Angling Trust has hailed the rain as a ‘life-saver for fish and other wildlife’ in our district.
Chief executive of the Angling Trust, Mark Lloyd said: "While the rain has ruined the first half of many people’s summer, it has quite literally been a life-saver for fish and other wildlife in our rivers, which were in a perilous state in the spring.
"Despite the higher flows at the moment, everyone should make every effort to save water as part of their daily routine, to ensure that all our reserves can recover to levels that offer security for future dry periods, and so that wildlife can thrive in rivers and wetlands.
"National water policy needs to allow us to store water better on the land by reducing upland drainage. We also need to invest in more reservoirs, particularly in the heavily-populated south east, where rainfall is usually quite low.”
Although flows in our local rivers have recovered, the Environmental Agency says water levels in the groundwater, the natural storage basins deep below ground, are in most cases still below normal despite the recent rain.
Sustainability director for Thames Water, Richard Aylard said: "For our invisible underground supplies to return to normal we will still need steady rainfall this winter. Rain in spring and summer tends to get sucked up by plants, while winter rain soaks deep into the soil to top up the groundwater, which provides a base flow in our rivers throughout the year.
“After such a sharp reminder about the unpredictability of the weather we are of course still asking everyone to use water wisely.”