Wettest place in England is ‘bone dry’ amid fears of a summer drought.
But the River Derwent has gone for so long without sufficient rain, its rocky bed is exposed.
It comes amid fears that the country may be subjected to a summer drought, with rivers and reservoirs experiencing dwindling water levels following one of the driest winter in more than 20 years.
The Daily Telegraph reported last week that some homeowners had been told to cut down on water consumption by waiting until their washing machines and dishwashers are fully loaded before running them.
“It is very unusual for this to happen in springtime,” he said.
“Everything is usually under water.
A Met Office spokesman said the area had seen 36 per cent rainfall in April, which is almost two-thirds less rainfall than average.
Temperatures on the west coast of England and Scotland, meanwhile, have been up to 3C higher than normal.
Normally, it is the other way round which brings a lot of rain and wind to the west coast,” he said.
“In the west, it has been warmer than average, whereas London and Lincolnshire have had cool, cloudy and breezier weather.” An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Following a dry winter, some rivers, groundwaters and reservoirs are lower than normal for the time of year.