THE company in charge of Yorkshire's reservoirs has asked people to make the most of rainfall following a year so far of weather extremes.

Reservoir stocks were lower than usual in April says Yorkshire Water, because of the dry spring, but an unusually wet May meant by the end of the month, stocks were higher than normal for the time of year.

Granville Davies, manager of water and catchment strategy, said when it came to rainfall, 2021 had been a year of extremes. 

“A wet winter led into an exceptionally dry early spring. During April, Yorkshire only had around a fifth of our average rainfall. In May the pattern changed again – we experienced more than twice as much rain as usual, which was welcomed by gardeners and water resource engineers alike.

“Our reservoir stocks, which started lower than normal in April, increased by about 10 per cent through May to finish the month at an unusually high level for the time of year. June was drier than normal, but the start of July has been greeted by thunderstorms and torrential downpours from summer storms. 

“We expect to see more of the extremes we have experienced through 2021 because of the climate emergency.”

He added: “Climate scientists are predicting that we’ll have winters that are perhaps 14 per cent wetter than we might expect now, and summers could be up to 28 per cent drier - and when it does rain in the summer, we can expect more intense rainfall, as we’ve experienced recently.

“Whatever the weather, our leakage inspectors are out and about looking for leaks to fix in order to save water and protect our water resources.”

And, people could play their part by getting a water butt if they have a garden.

“If you do have a garden, make the most of the unpredictable weather and get yourself a water butt, so that you can get a double benefit from wet spells.

“Not only does the rain water your plants as it falls, but you’ll have your own reservoir to water them when the weather turns dry again.”