Reservoir levels still falling despite bank holiday cloudbursts across West Somerset

WATER levels in Exmoor’s giant Wimbleball Lake dropped to a little over one-third full last week despite some recent heavy rainfall.

Figures from South West Lakes showed Wimbleball was only 37 per cent full as the region officially remained in drought and hosepipe bans were still in place.

Wimbleball, which can hold 21,320 million litres of water, currently holds 7,913 million litres and is the least full of all but one of South West Water’s (SWW) 17 reservoirs.

It is one of the three largest SWW reservoirs, with the other two, Roadford and Colliford, still more than half full.

The Environment Agency (EA) said despite the downpours of the past few days, rainfall still remained well below average with barely one-third of the usual amount for August.

An EA spokesperson said: “There continues to be no change to Environment Agency area drought status this week, with 71 per cent of England by land classed as being in drought.

“Some rivers have responded with the recent rainfall but this will be short-lived if dry weather returns.

“Most rivers are classed as below normal or lower for the time of year with more than half of river sites classed as either notably low or exceptionally low.”

The heavy rain saw two flood warnings issued over the bank holiday weekend for coastal areas in West Somerset, one for Porlock Weir, and the other for an area stretching from Steart and Stolford to Dunster and Blue Anchor.

The spokesperson said: “Flooding can happen during a drought and will often be localised and of a short duration.”

Wessex Water does not regularly publish water levels for its reservoirs, but the EA said Clatworthy Reservoir, on the Brendon Hills near Wiveliscombe, was classified as ‘exceptionally low’ for the time of year, with some figures putting it at only 38 per cent full.