Aerial pictures show effects of heatwave on region's beauty spots

Thanks to the heatwave of recent weeks some of the region's best-known parkland has been left dried out by temperatures, which have climbed to 30C (86F).

The weekend's downpours will have provided some much needed relief, but these photographs show more rain is required to bring them back to their lush appearence.

Some of the animals at West Midlands Safari Park will be feeling very much at home in the Serengeti-like conditions at the Bewdley site. An aerial image of the park shows just a few streaks of green in an otherwise sun-scorched landscape.

The meerkats at the attraction were among those who made the most of the heatwave by taking to using logs as sun-loungers to soak up the rays.

Over at Cannock Chase, swathes of dried out grass can be seen amidst the thousands of trees which populate the site. Large numbers of visitors have been reported at the attraction in recent weeks prompting the Forestry Commission to issue warnings about the dangers of discarded barbecues amid fears they could start a fire.

The situation at the safari park and Cannock Chase is common across the region.

Some of the fields surrounding Himley Hall look a shadow of their former selves while it is a similar picture at Stafford Castle where the grass looks the same colour as the walls.

Some of the popular commons in Walsall have also suffered, thanks to the rising mercury.

At both Pelsall Common and Harden Common the lush grass is looking decidedly dried out. The fields around the Shugborough estate in Staffordshire have suffered a similar fate. And it is not just the region's beauty spots which have been trying to keep their grass looking as green as normal.

Residents across the West Midlands have also been struggling to make sure their lawns stay in tip-top condition.

Award-winning gardener Richard Spiers – who regularly takes part in plant and flower shows up and down the country – said that the only solution to keeping grass green was to water it.

But Mr Spiers, aged 58 and from Wombourne, added: "It's a complete waste of time and water as if you leave grass alone it'll always come back to being green in the end. For football pitches etc it's worthwhile but for your average person it's a real waste of water.

"The key to watering plants and flowers is to water them at the root – not on the foliage as it will just evaporate off.

"And if you water during the day the water will evaporate quicker, so it's best to do it in the morning or the evening.

"To maintain flowers you need to keep 'deadheading' – taking the dead flowers off to encourage the next set to come though."

Mr Spiers said the environment was still catching up after a cold spring. He said: "Things are still coming through late after the very cold spring we had. But after the recent thunderstorms things have picked up remarkably well."

During very hot weather gardeners are reminded to water plants before the sun is out or after it has gone down. That is because if water is left on the leaves it can act as a magnifying glass and scorch a plant.

Severn Trent Water has also warned customers not to leave hoses and sprinklers on overnight during the warmer weather as reservoirs struggle to refill.

The water company, which serves the West Midlands and part of Staffordshire, said that because gardens were being watered at night, some users are seeing lower pressures from their taps in the morning.

The company issued a warning about over-watering healthy gardens and revealed it has supplied an extra 350 million litres of water than average usage rates. Fires have also spread around green spaces across the region as a result of the soaring temperatures.

It emerged earlier this week that the number of grass fires in Wolverhampton rocketed by 400 per cent during the heatwave.

There were 41 blazes between July 1 and 14 across the city up from eight during the same period the previous year.

That came after the number of grass fires which had been started deliberately in Staffordshire went up by 200 per cent between April and June. Firefighters dealt with 501 grass fires during those three months compared to just 164 during the same period last year. Firefighters believe discarded cigarette butts and youngsters playing with matches are to blame.

Thankfully, though, for all those green fingered residents, forecasters say more rain is on the way.

After a respite from last week's heavy thunderstorms experts are predicting that rain will be back with a vengeance.

The outlook is unsettled in the West Midlands with longer periods of rain forecast for the early part of the week.