The long-term forecast is
IT’S the end of an era for the Leicester Mercury, with our popular weather forecaster Dave Mutton hanging up his boots after 38 years.
The 75-year-old has been a favourite among readers thanks to his daily weather reports – recorded meticulously from a weather station in the back garden of his Cosby bungalow – and for his informative and insightful commentary and analysis of climactic conditions affecting the city and county.
Although the Mercury weatherman moniker will likely follow him into retirement, Dave’s weather observations – sunshine hours, wind, rainfall, highs and lows – stopped being a daily feature on Page 13 of the paper at the start of this month.
He said the decision to call it a day was made as he approached his latest birthday, which he celebrated on Monday.
“With turning 75, I decided to reduce my workload, really,” he said.
“I’ll still be doing my weather observations, it’s just I’ll no longer be producing data every day for the Mercury and a few insurance companies and councils.
“I’ve been associated with the Mercury for 38 years, so it will feel a bit strange.”
Dave, whose day job was as an auditor with Leicester City Council until his early retirement in the mid1990s, was brought on board by the Mercury’s then editor, the late Lawrie Simpkin, in the summer of 1983.
He said: “Around that time the Mercury had weather equipment on the flat roof of the building in St George Street.
“Ernie Pepperdine, who was in charge of the Met Office observations site at Watnall, near Nottingham, supplied the paper with a screen, thermometer and rain gauge.
“It meant that every morning the reporters had to go up on the roof every day and record the obbs.
“But in winter it was like an ice skating rink up there so, eventually, the journalists’ union said ‘No way are these reporters going up there, it’s too dangerous.’
“The editor got in touch with me through a chap I knew, Eric Bonser, who had a weather station in Newtown Linford, and by August 1983 I was giving the Mercury my weather figures.
“That’s how I got started, anyway. I’ve really enjoyed it, and got to know some of the lads and lasses at the Mercury through commenting on what’s going on with the weather.”
Dave, who is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, will continue sharing daily obbs with the 400 or so fellow members of the Climatological Observations Link amateur meteorologists group.
He said: “It’s something I still enjoy and I’ll also be still providing figures for Blaby District Council.
“Mind you, it’s changed quite a bit. In the old days it was an early morning trip out into the garden to take the readings.
“Now, you can pretty much get by on a laptop in your living room, which suits me – especially with getting older and when it’s a bit chilly out.”
Dave’s expertise has also seen him get involved in town planning, a murder investigation and court cases.
He was asked to pro
I’d like to thank everyone at the Mercury, and the readers, for their support
Dave Mutton
vide fog observations when the city council was planning the ring road through New Parks and Beaumont Leys. “They wanted to know which bits of road needed to be lit up by street lamps.” Dave was called upon to help detectives investigating the