In a characteristically British manifestation of Sod’s Law, the moment the Environment Agency today declared the West Midlands and East Midlands to be in drought, the heavens opened.
The EA said the two regions had endured their driest springs in 132 years, resulting in declining river flows and groundwater levels, with some rivers at their lowest for June since 1976.
With hosepipe bans announced across the Yorkshire Water supply area earlier this month, Severn Trent bosses are now also considering such a measure, although for the time being, garden hoses are still OK to use across the Midlands.
Sod’s Law: As soon as drought is announced, it chucks it down
Matt Gable, regional incident lead at the Environment Agency, said: “In the Midlands, we are taking action to reduce that impact and to oversee the actions water companies need to take to secure public water supplies.
“We are also encouraging people to play their part through the rest of the summer period by noting the small steps we can all take to save water.”
No sooner did Mr Gable utter these words than much of the Midlands was doused with rain as Britain enjoyed a notably cooler, wetter day following the recent heatwave – reminding us all that Sod’s Law is alive and well.
