By Harry Mottram: Firstly, an apology as last week on this website I ran the news of a hosepipe ban in parts of Somerset announced by South West Water. It was for areas close to the Devon border and for a few hours I included our area since South West Water own Bristol Water. However after checks with Bristol Water I made a correction – and currently there are still no plans for a hosepipe ban for this area – for now.
Bristol Water has announced Cheddar Reservoir will be closed from 8pm on Tuesday 11th August until 8pm on Thursday 13th August. It will be the third time they have closed the reservoir this summer due to the expectation temperatures will be higher than 30C.
They said in a statement on their website and posted online: “There will be no public access to Cheddar reservoir from 8pm on Tuesday 11th August until 8pm on Thursday 13th August. This action is in line with our routine water safety practice at Cheddar Reservoir for extreme heat scenarios.
“With the extreme heat, and very little shade around the reservoir’s permissive path, we want everyone to stay safe. We know the water can look very tempting on hot days, but it can be extremely dangerous, and we don’t want any extra pressure on the emergency services during what will be a busy time for them.
“We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment this causes. For those wishing to visit the Cemetery, the Sharpham Road car park will remain open for this access only.”
The two small car parks at Cheddar Sharpham Road and Axbridge entrance will both be closed. There will be access to the Cemetery via the Sharpham Road car park. You will need to open the gate as it will be closed, but it will be unlocked and accessible. Members of Cheddar Watersports and people booked on a watersports course, along with Cheddar Angling Club members, will be able to access the reservoir from the Axbridge entrance. Proof of membership or course attendance will be asked for. The utility post security on the entrance – and try to block of the various other entrances with barriers. Anecdotally members of the public have accessed the reservoir despite these measures – the advice is to abide by the closure – it is only for two days.
The BBC reported: “The remarkably warm and sunny summer has led to drought being declared in more than two-thirds of England and all of Wales. Provisional Met Office statistics show that the UK’s mean temperature for meteorological summer so far (1 June to 10 August) currently stands at 16.48C (61.66F), which is 1.88C above the 1991-2020 average.”
Find out more: https://www.bristolwater.co.uk/cheddar-reservoir
Axbridge Diary of Events
Axbridge dates coming up. Send Axbridge events to me and I’ll try to keep the list updated. Email: harryfmottram@gmail.com I’ll also post on my website at https://www.harrymottram.co.uk/diary/
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