Managing drought challenge at World Heritage Site

The water cascade into the Studley Lake has run dry during hot weather in North Yorkshire

Hot weather is once again beating down on the UK, with an official drought declared in regions including Yorkshire. Staff at a popular World Heritage Site explain how they're working "doubly hard" during the arid conditions.

"It can be really, really tricky," explains Bec Evans, general manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, which relies on water from the River Skell.

The Unesco-listed abbey and water garden near Ripon normally boast luscious greenery and shimmering ponds, with the scenery reflecting off the surface of the water.

But much of the grass is currently brown and some of its ponds are dry.

This has ecological as well as aesthetic impacts, Ms Evans says.

"The water gardens are quite unusual in that they're fed from the river itself, so whatever the river is doing, it means our water gardens are doing too."

As the flow of the water slows, algae forms on the surface, she adds, which in turn means the water "doesn't flow through the site as freely and then it causes all kinds of problems later down the line on the river".

Bec Evans says the team has noticed a "definite trend" of hotter summers and wetter winters

Also on the site is a deer park, with rangers working "doubly hard" to make extra welfare checks and provide more water for the animals, Ms Evans says.

Meanwhile, efforts are made to ensure staff, volunteers and visitors all have enough shade and access to drinking water.

Plans are being put in place each year to account for a "definite trend", she adds.

"Our summers are getting a lot hotter and our winters are getting a lot wetter."

An extra challenge recently was unseasonable weather brought by Storm Floris, with the site among local attractions to close their doors for the day.

Ms Evans says the strong winds and heavy rain in August "caught us off guard slightly".

General manager Bec Evans says staff were "caught off guard" by a storm in the middle of long periods of hot weather

Temperatures are forecast to reach the low to mid-30s in North Yorkshire on Wednesday, with a yellow heat health alert in place across Yorkshire and the Humber.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, this means the weather could cause "significant impacts" across health and social care settings.

Ms Evans adds: "You really do have to keep an eye on the weather all of the time to make sure that you're able to look after the site and the visitors and the staff and the volunteers."

However, there is "plenty of shade" on site, she says, including tents for children's activities to take place in, and artwork to look at indoors.

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