Heritage sites battle against wild weather, warns National Trust

BRITAIN's beloved historic sites are taking a beating from increasingly erratic weather, according to a new report from the National Trust.

The conservation charity's yearly weather review paints a worrying picture for 2024, with storms, floods and unusual temperatures affecting properties across England and Wales, reported the BBC.

The year kicked off with unprecedented flooding at the 300-year-old Avebury Manor in Wiltshire, as a string of winter storms - Henk, Isha and Jocelyn - battered the country. Many historic buildings, with their original Victorian guttering, simply weren't built to handle such extreme downpours.

The Trust's Climate Change Advisor, Keith Jones, noted a concerning trend: "Our unpredictable weather is resulting in confusion for our wildlife and the slow loss of what once were 'predictable' seasons."

This upheaval has taken its toll on wildlife. The striking Adonis blue butterfly saw its numbers plummet in west Dorset, with just 333 spotted compared to nearly 1,500 the previous year. Bees, wasps and moths also struggled with the shifting seasons.

It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. The wet weather helped restore parched peatlands and supported both young and mature trees after recent dry spells. Over in Suffolk, rangers celebrated as grey seals established the county's first breeding colony at Orford Ness, choosing the quiet beach as their new home.

Autumn arrived fashionably late, treating visitors to a spectacular show of colours that lasted well into November. The mild, damp conditions proved perfect for fungi and created a paradise for creatures like the leopard slug, spotted munching on mushrooms at Norfolk's Blickling Estate.
The year wrapped up with more topsy-turvy weather, as temperatures swung between freezing and mild in the space of days, highlighting the increasingly unpredictable nature of Britain's climate.