Norfolk farmer: "too late" for some crops, due to recent lack of rainfall
The lack of rain is expected to mean that this March, April, and May could be the first with less than 100mm on records that date back 189 years
A farmer in Norfolk tells us it's early too late to revive or resurrect some crops- because of a lack of rainfall over the last few months.
This Spring is on course to be the driest season of any on record- according to a leading meteorologist.
"I'd like to see the current rules and regulations loosened up"
Will Sargent lives and works near Norwich:
"We just need more certainty, so we can keep investing. If you keep on moving the goalposts then you're only going to drive that down.
"The planning system is holding up a lot of projects and it's making it very difficult to plan when it comes to the likes of reservoirs.
"I'd like to see the current rules and regulations loosened up and more investment from the Government to help us innovate and look forwards towards different ways of farming".
He told us what's likely to happen if this weather continues:
"It would mean that we'd have to import more food. It's something that would make it difficult for farmers here and across the UK, as we need to boost national production.
"If we just keep on importing, we're going to run down the domestic market exsisting problems are only going to worse and there'll be more inequality in the market.
This research in more detail:
The lack of rain is expected to mean that this March, April, and May could be the first with less than 100mm on records that date back 189 years.
The previous record for the driest season in the UK was in Spring 1852 which had just 100.7mm of rain, according to Professor Ed Hawkins, the UK's principal research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
Some relief is predicted to arrive, unsurprisingly over the Bank Holiday weekend and next week, with frontal systems crossing the UK before the official end of meteorological Spring next Saturday.
But even those downpours would leave this season as amongst the top five driest of any season on records that date back to 1836, said Professor Hawkins MBE, a professor of climate science at Reading University and an expert in long-term weather patterns.
"There has never been a season in the UK with less than 100mm. We could be close in 2025, depending on what happens in the next 10 days."
"Spring is often the driest season of the year for the UK, and Spring 1852 was drier than any other," Professor Hawkins said. "Almost certainly it is going to be in the top five of any season on record, unless there are some large downpours."
The "remarkable" result bucks a general trend towards wetter Springs in the UK, he added.
"As the world continues to warm, the UK is getting wetter overall, making this dry Spring period even more remarkable. Although the lack of rainfall is not robustly linked to a changing climate - we get these weather patterns from time-to-time - the warmer temperatures mean that soils are drier, making the impact on agriculture and water resources larger."
The Met Office revealed last week that there had been 80.6mm of rainfall so far this Spring. This March and April have both been record-breaking months for sunshine, becoming the sunniest March and April on records dating back to 1910, the Met Office say. Eight of the 10 warmest springs on record have so far occurred since the year 2000.
However, weather patterns can also be unpredictable and Professor Hawkins said the driest season ever in Spring 1852 was later followed in by the wettest two month period on record for the UK, between November and December - including an event known as the Duke of Wellington floods, because they coincided with his state funeral.
What's the Government said?
The Government says the National Drought Group met earlier this month- to address concerns.
In the longer-term, The Treasury says there's it's planning to build nine new reservoirs to address water shortages and boost economic growth