‘Enjoy the weather and help local businesses’

HOSPITALITY groups have urged the public to take advantage of a weekend break in the spring weather to visit local businesses which have been hampered by months of excess rainfall.

The UK saw 127% of the usual monthly rainfall in March, rising to 162% in England and 179% in southern England, according to the Met Office.

So far this month, the UK has already seen 85% of the monthly average rainfall for April, with areas such as Wales and northern England having had more than 100%.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, voiced concern that an unseasonably damp spring was having an effect on footfall.

She said: “The last few months of 2023 and first quarter of 2024 have been notably wetter with many pubs adversely affected by flooding and a drop in subsequent trade.”

Ms McClarkin noted that events such as rugby’s Six Nations and Easter had provided an uptick in sales for many pubs, but said she hoped that drier weather would encourage a wider return to venues.

She said: “Like everyone across the beer and pub sector across the UK, we very much hope that the weather will be sunnier, especially ahead of a great summer of sport which should see more people enjoying a refreshing beer in the sun while cheering on their teams.”

Kathryn Chalk, operational meteorologist at the Met Office, said the weekend would be “very warm for the time of year”, with temperatures rising to 19 or 20C, but warned that the dry spell was not going to last.

Temperatures reached 21.5C at St James’s Park yesterday, and are expected to near 20C in southern England today before dropping to highs of around 15C on Sunday.

“It doesn’t last long, as we get some showers feeding through on Monday and it’s going to be feeling widely colder,” Ms Chalk said, adding: “It’s probably going to seem like the driest weekend for a while.”Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said the hospitality sector was hoping the weekend forecast would encourage the public to support their local businesses.