Worrying piece in the Guardian – an ominous sign of things to come this summer?

The upper River Derwent in Borrowdale in the Lake District – famous for its reputation as the wettest place in England – is almost completely dry, leading experts to warn of “disastrous conditions for wildlife”.

This was the third year in a row where prolonged serious drought had dried out large parts of the river, said Ruth Mackay, a fisheries project officer from West Cumbria Rivers Trust. “Already our nature is under stress,” she said. “If a drought impacts a river, there is usually chance to recover in the succeeding years, but when it happens year after year, it becomes catastrophic for the wildlife that depend on it.”

The wildlife habitats of the Derwent catchment are of national importance, designated as both a special area of conservation (SAC) and a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

Natural England’s most recent assessments, conducted earlier this year, indicated the majority of these sensitive habitats were in an “unfavourable condition” even before the current prolonged dry weather.