march was the month somewhat warmer and drier in united kingdom in nearly 60 years

London, 2 APR ( EFE).- the past March was the month more warm in the United Kingdom since 1957 and the driest recorded in the country since 1953, said today the British Meteorological Office.

A spokesman for the Met Office (weather service) told Efe that it registered a total of 135.3 hours of sunshine during the past month until March 28, which was 40 percent more than experts had anticipated for the period.

In addition, during March just rained a 38 per cent of the average for this time of the year, according to these data.

The highest temperatures recorded were 23.6 degrees centigrade in the Scottish town of Aboyne, in the County of Aberdeenshire, on 27 March, representing a new record in Scotland during that month.

High temperatures reached in the country have motivated that various points in southern England and London may suffer water restrictions until at least next October, due to low levels of rain recorded in the last six months.

Because of the severity of the drought currently affecting most of the country, experts believe that rainwater which can fall during the months of spring and summer will not be enough to be able to lift the ban on the use of hoses.

Water restrictions were announced last night by water companies and shall enter into force on Thursday.

Drought has been caused by low levels of rainfall recorded during the fall, winter and early spring.

Experts believe that the rain which may fall from now will not be enough to replenish reservoirs, because it is going to evaporate due to high summer temperatures or will be absorbed by vegetation.

There are seven domestic water companies who will support these restrictions, and that between all supply water to about 20 million British homes.

A spokesman for the Southern Water company told the British newspaper “Daily Telegraph” that “with security will, at least, a restriction in the use of hoses this summer”.

Furthermore, one spokeswoman for another of those companies, Anglian Water, said that rotating that there have been “the months more dry in one hundred years” with only “two-thirds of the normal fall of rainwater”.

“If it rain steadily over the next three months, would still have very low levels of water”, the spokesman warned.EFE