Leading bookmaker Coral has suspended betting on there being a hosepipe ban in the UK this summer, following record high temperatures over the last couple of days. The firm makes it 1-4 for this summer to be the hottest ever in the UK.
“We have pulled the plug on our betting on there being a hosepipe ban this summer in the UK. With more heatwaves set for the next few weeks, it looks very likely now that a ban on hosepipes will be imposed,” said Coral’s John Hill.
Dramatic photos show reservoirs in England on the verge of totally drying up as Britain baked in near 40C temperatures - leaving just beds of cracked mud. A rare danger-to-life warning is in place for parts of northern England as the heat caused tarmac to melt and rail tracks to buckle, while GP clinics and some schools were closed.
And beauty spots across the scorched north have dried up so severely that mudbeds have been exposed and left deep cracks appearing in a desert-like landscape. It is in stark contrast to the usual sight of them full to the brim with millions of gallons of water and comes as health experts have urged Brits to keep hydrated in the heat.
Exposed mudbeds were captured at both Lindley Wood Reservoir, near Otley, West Yorks., and Swinsty Reservoir, near Harrogate, North Yorks. Yorkshire Water recently admitted water levels at some sites have dropped to around 60 per cent of capacity as demand for drinking water has been so high.
Across the border in Edgworth, Lancashire, Wayoh Reservoir is normally full to the brim with 500 million gallons of water. The reservoir supplies around 50% of the drinking water to nearby Bolton, but water levels have receded so much that it now appears bone dry in parts.
As the mercury reached 35C yesterday, just a few trickles of water were left to be seen amid the dramatic landscape.
