May in Ledbury was cooler than average but also drier, according to Albert Road weather watcher, Norman Selkirk.

Mr Selkirk said the month's rainfall was well down on 17.8mm and total rainfall for the year is almost the same as for the very dry 2003. There were a total of 17 totally dry days.

"The mean temperature for the month was a rather cool 11.8 degrees Celsius and the early hours of the 11th actually saw an air frost, when minus 0.7 degrees Celsius was recorded," he said.