WHILE the fine weather has been welcomed for gathering in the harvest, the exceptionally dry spell is causing problems for farmers in parts of Herefordshire.

Low water tables and drying pastures are forcing many to either carry water or feed to stock and with insufficient rain there are worries that the usual autumn flush of grass may not materialise.

Said David Morgan of Peterchurch, National Farmers' Union livestock representative for the region, "We could be in trouble if is doesn't rain soon. We do need some steady rain to green things up and if we don't get it we could be in for an awfully long winter.

"Older pastures are looking very dry and it is only on some ground that has been harvested that there is green young grass.

"Already, lot of people are having to feed stock and there are reports of springs starting to become short, particularly in the more hilly areas."

With the sweltering temperatures experienced this summer, many people are making comparisons with the exceptional conditions of 1976.

According to the weather station at ADAS Rosemaund, near Hereford, the temperatures during 1976 were hotter over a longer period -14 days - and peaked at 33.2 degrees celsi-grade on July 3, 1976.

This year temperatures were at their highest during July and August, reaching 32.28 on Saturday, August 9.

On 12 days of the fortnight - June 26 to July 7, 1976 - temperatures shot up to 30 degrees or more.

But what helped to make the drought conditions so bad that summer was the dry autumn of 1975, followed by a dry winter and spring.

By June many farmers were forced to feed hay to livestock, there being not much silage made at the time.

The first really hot spell this summer was from July 13 to July 16 when temperatures ranged from 26.77 to 31.16.

They soared again on August 3 at 25.36, August 4 (29.22), August 5 (27.61), August 6 (27.07), August 7 (29.93), August 8 (28.2), August 9 (32.28) and August 10 (27.8).

But in 1976 the hot spell was much more prolonged.

June 25 saw the mercury reach 29.8, June 26 (31.3), June 27 (31.2), June 28 (31.5), June 29 (31.1), June 30 (30), July 1 (31.3), July 2 (32.1), July 3 (33.2), July 4 (31.3), July 5 (31), July 6 (31.5), July 7 (30.5), and July 8 (29).