Warmer weather brings hope for tourist attraction

A spell of wet weather meant water levels were too high for paddle boating and canoeing

A week of sunshine has brought hope back to staff at a tourist attraction in Herefordshire after one of the wettest winters on record put a dampener on bookings.

During what was expected to be one of its busiest periods last month, YOFI Paddlesports, in Symonds Yat, was forced to cancel bookings after a spell of heavy rainfall meant water levels were too high.

Owner Robin Fletcher said things were looking up as temperatures were expected to reach 23C over the weekend.

“We’ve been waiting for the river levels to drop to a safe level, which they are now,” he told BBC Hereford and Worcester

The business offers canoe hire and instruction and canoe trips, so it relies heavily on good weather conditions.

Mr Fletcher added: “Three weeks ago we were worried about whether we’d get bookings or be busy this year.

“The bank holiday weekend kickstarted the busy times and thankfully bookings are now starting to come in online which we’re very grateful for.

“The weather forecast for this weekend looks really good so we’re hoping for a good turnout of people coming to visit us again.”

The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning valid from 11:00 BST to 22:00 on Sunday. This warning covers western parts of Northern Ireland and most of Wales and western England.

It warns that heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to travel disruption and flooding.