THE heatwave in August meant that Ledbury was "practically rainless" until the 28th of the month, according to Albert Road weather watcher, Norman Selkirk.

He said: "Until then, less than 1mm of rain was measured and the rain on the 29th was not really apparent, as it fell overnight.

"But 5.2mm was recorded by 9am on the 29th, making it the month's highest daily total. A further 1.8mm fell during a few showers on August 29, bringing the month's total rainfall to a mere 7.9mm.

"The three summer months, June, July and August, were matched by dry conditions and very high temperatures, occurring from time to time. The month's highest temperature in Ledbury was 31.4 degrees Celsius, recorded on August 4."

Mr Selkirk said that in the first ten days of August, the temperature rose to over 30 degrees Celsius on three separate days.

He explained: "During the last week, the weather became quite a good deal cooler and then on the last few nights of the month, minimums of 5.9 degrees Celsius and 4.7 degrees Celsius were recorded, signifying the approach of autumn.

"The mean temperature for the month was 18.3 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest in Ledbury since 1995."