It might be raining, but more's needed

Rain might well be affecting Newtown and the rest of the area today, but water bosses have warned that much more is needed or the area faces hosepipe bans and other water restrictions.

Severn Trent Water, which serves Montgomeryshire, said reservoir levels are below what they would like, including Llyn Clywedog, near Llanidloes. And they warned that while there is no immediate risk of drought status for the area, more rain was needed to replenish supplies.

Martin Kane, its customer services director, said: "Our first priority is to provide a continuous supply of high-quality drinking water to our customers, but as a result of the recent weather most of our reservoirs are lower than we would like them to be.

Martin Kane of Severn Trent Water, said: "While it might not be a popular thing to wish for during the summer, what we need is more rain, spread over several days and weeks, so the reservoirs across the region can be replenished. No final decision has been made, but unless we see a return to seasonal average rainfall, we are facing the likelihood of water restrictions in parts of our region in the near future."

Parts of England have already been classified as in drought. Some reports have suggested that soil moisture levels in Nottinghamshire are below what you woud expect in some of the world's hottest deserts.