Water (lack of)

[Nurseandy]

Weirdly we had unforecast rain too. Thinks that's it now though for the foreseeable

[GillyBee]

Next to nothing here either in South London for a long while now. I'll be digging out my Steve Solomon guide to Gardening without irrigation at this rate and recycling the batch/shower water.

[pseudonym]

All fine here in the East Midlands.

[korolev]

Pretty good here in Sussex. The four main reservoirs and groundwater levels are about average for this time of year.

Going forward, though, my water butts need topping up; this time of year we can use 100l a day watering the plants in the greenhouse and pots.

[Frnc]

Apart from the obvious, another issue is risk of subsidence when the ground dries out. The ground shrinks and swells when it dries out and gets saturated. It's mainly an issue for houses built on clay-rich soils. Things like installing impervious paving and driveways, and planting or removing trees can affect the amount of water in the soil locally. Old houses are more at risk, as their foundations are shallower. Insurers report surges in claims a few month after a dought, as hairline cracks widen.

[Snowhunter]

It's fortunate that older buildings are also incredibly reslient, traditional materials such as lime mortar and oak frames can cope with an enormous amount of ground movement and settling before any real problems start.

[Frnc]

It's fortunate that older buildings are also incredibly reslient, traditional materials such as lime mortar and oak frames can cope with an enormous amount of ground movement and settling before any real problems start.

They are, but many (including mine) have been pointed in modern mortar. Also things like tiling are susceptible. My house was shaking regularly for months, due to building work nearby. Seems to have more or less stopped, now, touch wood. They have scaffolding up now. It was when the digger was digging, or even just driving about.

[korolev]

Well, we had a massive 1.8mm of rain overnight.

I've got the wife outside filling sandbags...

[Frnc]

In south Manchester we have a brief thunderstorm forecast for Tuesday.

Well that didn't happen. Not during the daytime, anyway. There might have been a bit of rain in the night. Got the washing on the line.

[pseudonym]

Cleaned out moved and refilled water butts (2 x 110ltrs)