The remains of Nether Hambleton, a village that was demolished and flooded to create a reservoir, have been revealed as the country continues to face drought conditions. Low water levels at the Rutland Water reservoir have uncovered buildings that were once part of the village.
Residents of Nether Hambleton and other small villages were relocated before the buildings were demolished and the area flooded in the 1970s. The creation of the reservoir, which involved damming the Gwash valley near Empingham, was finished in 1976, with flooding taking a further three years, according to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Over 3,000 acres of land were submerged to create one of the largest man-made bodies of water in western Europe. The stonework left behind after the demolition of Nether Hambleton has been uncovered due to falling water levels as England faces extremely dry conditions.
Rainfall across the East Midlands has been below average for the past five consecutive months, the Environment Agency stated, with the spring and summer period being the driest since 1995 and July being the driest on record. The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs became the latest areas to move into drought status on Monday.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat for Thursday, with some parts of England potentially facing temperatures of up to 38C (100F).