Sailing cancelled amid lowest water level since 1997

A sailing club that teaches people with disabilities to learn to sail said it might have to curb its season early due to low water levels.

The Wolverstone Project Sailing Club, which operates on Alton Water, Suffolk, normally sails on the reservoir until December.

However, due to low water levels, the pontoon, used for sailors to board boats, has been left high and dry and activities temporarily stopped.

Sally Moore, a trustee at the charity, said volunteers would try and move the pontoon deeper into the water and if that failed "unfortunately that will be the end of our sailing season."

In August, the National Drought Group declared 71.3% of England to be in drought, after the nation recorded its driest July since records began in 1836.

Suffolk was placed under a hosepipe ban in July due to prolonged dry spells.

Anglian Water, which runs Alton Water, said the reservoir was 58% full, 29% lower than it would expect at the time of year.

Moore said no-one at the club could remember the water level being so low in 25 years of sailing there.

"We've had times when the water has gone low but it's never been like this before," she said.

Moore said a planned event on Monday for adults had to be cancelled so the pontoon could be moved.

"We've had challenges of getting wheelchair users down the pontoon, because it's become very, very steep," she said.

"We've had to be really careful bringing them down backwards instead of forwards, for example."

There are hopes if the pontoon move is successful, sailing classes could return next week.

"I'm very confident," Moore said. "Our volunteers are amazing and they have got this plan.

"They've got the materials and if anybody's going to do it, it's going to be them."

Laura Tuplin, from Anglian Water, said it was the lowest water level at Alton Water since 1997.

In August, a road that was flooded to create the reservoir was revealed, again due to the water level.

"We are hoping for rain, we do need to recover the levels, but these are storage reservoirs," Tuplin said.

"They are built to work through drought and through different periods of weather."

Tuplin warned that drought conditions could continue in to 2027.

"We're not at panic stations," she said.

"It's really difficult to tell how long this will go on for but it will be for the foreseeable future and yes, maybe next year."

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