River Severn lvel being monitored

A scheme to maintain the level of the River Severn throughout long spells of hot weather is being used more than ever, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

The Shropshire Groundwater Scheme, which uses groundwater stored naturally within the sandstone aquifer beneath north Shropshire and transfers it through a 53km network of underground pipelines, is releasing about 200 million litres of water a day.

It comes as the National Drought Group said the West Midlands was among the English regions on the brink of drought.