West Berkshire still in drought, despite weather warnings

Yesterday saw torrential rain in the district, with The Met Office issuing a severe weather warning in the region as well as other parts of the UK.
West Berkshire experienced 11.8mm of rainfall between Friday (20) and yesterday, according to figures from The Met office.
More rain is forecast, with spokeswoman for The Met Office, Sarah Holland saying West Berkshire could see 25-30mm of rainfall in the next couple of days.
The average rainfall for April is usually 50.3mm.
Despite the rain, Thames Water said the hosepipe ban is still in place
Spokesman for Thames Water, Craig Rance, also confirmed that the water company’s negotiations with the Environment Agency for a drought permit to take more water from the River Thames are still ongoing.
He said: “I know people see it’s miserable outside and wonder why a hosepipe ban is in force, but we have had below average rainfall in 20 of the last 25 months, so we need steady, continuous rainfall.
“In the Thames Valley, excluding London, 70 per cent of the water comes from natural aquifers. We take water from the ground through boreholes, so we need more groundwater.”
Head of water resources at the Environment Agency, Trevor Bishop added: “It’s going to take more than a week or two of rain to undo the effects of nearly two years of below average rainfall.
“The recent rain is good for farmers and gardeners, and the cool temperatures ease the pressure on fish and wildlife in rivers. But with dry soils most of the rain will be soaked up or run off quickly if the surface is compacted, causing flash floods. But it won’t reach down far enough to top up groundwater, which is what we really need.
“More rain now will really help us get through the summer, and is good for the environment, farmers and gardeners, but it’s very unlikely to be enough to recharge the groundwater. As we move from spring to summer, most of the rain that falls is either evaporated as temperatures rise or taken up by plants as they grow.”
Despite the inclement weather it appears there was only one serious road traffic incident in the district yesterday (25).
An 18-year old man had to be cut from his car by Newbury and Hungerford firefighters on the A34 near East Ilsley during the early hours of yesterday morning, after his car veered up an embankment.
Firefighters were called at 5.34am to the A34 northbound between East and West Ilsley, to the incident involving a silver Peugeot 206 and a lorry.
Fire crews used cutting equipment to remove the driver’s door and release the 18-year-old driver from the car, who was then placed on a spinal board and taken to hospital with suspected head and shoulder injuries.