A popular duck racing event in East Leake was abandoned because the village’s brook had dried up.
The competition, arranged by East Leake Churches Together, had been planned for Saturday July 19 but was called off because of the extremely low water levels caused by the recent spell of hot weather.
Money collected from the race was intended to support Meadow Park, a community green area that was donated to the village in 1995 and is now under the ownership of Rushcliffe Borough Council.
The borough council takes care of the park’s boundaries and any significant maintenance, while the day-to-day running is handled by East Leake Parish Council together with volunteers from the Friends of Meadow Park group.
The brook runs past St Mary’s Church, and contributors to a social media post explained that conditions had not been favourable for ducks and therefore the event would need to be delayed until sufficient rainfall returned the water levels to normal.
East Leake Parish Council confirmed that efforts had been made to explore alternative arrangements but the insufficient water supply made this impossible.
The cancellation occurred during a period of intense UK heat and extended dry spells.
The year’s first heatwave arrived in May, establishing a new record for that month when temperatures reached 35.1C at Kew Gardens in London.
A subsequent heatwave in June surpassed all previous June records, with thermometers hitting 37.7C in Norfolk.
July has continued to experience extreme heat, with several heatwaves causing widespread travel problems throughout the country.