Average water reservoir levels up to 98% (From York Press)

Average water reservoir levels up to 98%

8:02am Friday 4th May 2012 in Ryedale news By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

Shoppers brave the recent heavy rain in York

IT may have ruined holiday breaks, early season cricket matches and crops – but the wettest April on record has had at least one positive effect in Yorkshire.

Reservoir stocks in the region have been boosted to the tune of an extra 12 billion litres, says Yorkshire Water.

Average reservoir levels in Yorkshire, which stood at about 91 per cent before the April rain, now stand at an average of 98 per cent, with many full to overflowing.

However, levels of water in the county’s boreholes have not yet recovered in the same way after the driest 20-month period since records began, and will need many more weeks of sustained rainfall before they get back to healthy levels, said a company spokesman.

Ian Stevens, water resources manager, said: “We’re continuing to work hard to manage and balance stocks across the region, with our message to customers remaining the same as ever, Only use what you need, and be sensible about how you use what is a very precious resource.”

The company is going out on the road to offer free water-saving gadgets and to encourage customers to continue to play their part by conserving water where possible.

Staff will be outside Poundland in Scarborough, on June 1 and 2, in Prospect Crescent, Harrogate, on June 15 and June 16, and at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate on July 10, 11 and 12.

Meanwhile, the wet April has caused misery for farmers, with one landowner at Gateforth, near Selby, claiming that waterlogging to his land will cost him £100,000 in damage to his crops.

Hayfever experts have also warned that sufferers of the condition should expect a summer of misery after the wet April created perfect conditions for grass, allowing for vast clouds of pollen to be unleashed into the air.

Meanwhile, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has warned that a lack of affordable flood insurance in coming months could trigger a further slowdown in the housing market, and has pressed the Government for “urgent talks” about a new safety net agreement to ensure householders at a higher flooding risk can continue to take out insurance at a reasonable cost.