Blackstone bone dry

THESE dramatic pictures show how Britain's mini-heatwave has turned one of the UK's highest reservoirs into a virtual desert.

- BY ELIZABETH HUNTER

Blackstone Edge Reservoir, on the border of Rochdale and Calderdale, has turned into sand and grit in the wake of Britain’s dry spring weather, despite sitting 1,250ft high up in the Pennines. The mountainous temperatures normally leave the reservoir surrounded by snow for six months of the year, but the area has become dry and barren during the past few weeks.

Photographer Phil Taylor, 62, from Bolton, discovered the scene after a recent trip to the Pennines.