Sheffield drought: City's long dry spell hits milestone - with no rain forecast

The Weston Park Weather Station last recorded rain on April 23 - just 0.2mm.

Since then the city has enjoyed virtual wall-to-wall sunshine, with more on the horizon.

The Met Office long range forecast for the UK - up to Tuesday, May 27 - states: “Mostly dry and largely sunny conditions are expected to continue for the vast majority over the next several days as a slow-moving area of high pressure remains dominant.”

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The lack of rain has seen cars turn dusty yellow due to pollen, while gardeners and farmers are growing increasingly worried plants and crops could fail.

Yorkshire Water has launched drought plans after what bosses described as “the driest February, March and April in Yorkshire for almost 90 years.”

The firm says it has taken steps to ensure supplies including using its grid network to move water around.

But as much as 100 million litres of extra water were used when temperatures spiked recently, it says. And it has urged customers to “make small changes” to protect sources into the summer.