Drought reveals ancient sites as UK reservoirs run dry
Prolonged dry weather has uncovered WWI trenches and POW camp markings in Wales, while reservoirs drop to record lows.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The UK is in the grip of a drought that has spread across Wales and about half of England, according to the Environment Agency. The dry spell has drained reservoirs, turned lawns yellow, and exposed hidden traces of the past, from World War I training grounds to a Second World War prisoner of war camp.
In Derbyshire, a reservoir that normally supplies around 16,000 homes has been reduced to a bone-dry basin. Colin, a local resident who has known the dam since the 1960s, said he had never seen it this low. "It's the worst I've seen it," he told reporters. "You get worried if we keep having summers like this and we get a winter with no rain, we're going to be struggling for water."
The lack of rainfall has also brought history to the surface. In Conway, Wales, the parched ground at a golf course has revealed practice trenches used by soldiers training for the Western Front in World War I. In Carmarthenshire, scorched earth in a national park has exposed the outlines of a Second World War prisoner of war camp. An archaeologist who photographed the sites said the discoveries were a reminder of what lies beneath everyday landscapes. "It just shows how much history and archaeology there is underneath the landscape we all use," he said. "It's a bit sobering really."
The drought is not confined to the UK. In Bulgaria, the remains of what is believed to be an ancient mammoth have been found after river levels hit record lows. The Rhine, which flows from Germany into the Netherlands, is now lower than at any point since records began.
The UK's Environment Agency says water reserves should be enough for the coming months, until the next downpour. But with no significant rain forecast, the dry conditions are likely to persist, and the hidden history may stay visible for a while longer.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 |
|---|---|
| Seven regions in England are in official drought conditions. | |
| The dry weather revealed World War I practice trenches at a golf course in Conwy, Wales, and markings of a World War II prisoner of war camp in Carmarthenshire. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel focused on the human impact of the drought, using a local resident's personal experience to illustrate the severity, and highlighted the archaeological discoveries as a surprising silver lining. It also broadened the story to include international examples, giving a sense of a wider European heatwave.
- “It's the worst I've seen it and I know this dam since the 1960s.”
- “You get worried if we keep having summers like this and we get a winter with no rain, we're going to be struggling for water.”
- “It just shows how much history and archaeology there is underneath the landscape we all use.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.