19-05-2025
How sunny spring has helped building of Britain's newest reservoir
For firefighters, farmers and frogs, the relentlessly dry spring is bad news. Ironically, however, it turns out to be helpful for builders of reservoirs.
Last year's incredibly wet weather was a headache for Bob Taylor, the CEO of Portsmouth Water, which broke ground last September on Britain's first new reservoir in more than three decades.
'It became a bit of a quagmire here because we had stripped all of the vegetation and topsoil from the site and it was just mud or clay exposed. It was quite difficult,' said Taylor as he surveyed lorries and earthmovers busily working on a bright May morning.
One of the challenges facing his project north of Havant is he needs the temperature and moisture levels to be just right
