The scorching effects of the persistent hot, dry weather are laid bare at Haweswater reservoir.

Water levels have been so drastically reduced at the site over recent weeks that the remains of Mardale Green hamlet are once again visible.

More and more of the ancient drystone walls of the settlement which was evacuated and flooded to create the reservoir in 1935 are becoming visible as the dry weather continues.

Reservoir levels are dropping, with Thirlmere standing at 46% capacity and Haweswater just 60% full.

Water company United Utilities is supplying a record amount of water to Cumbria's pipelines to meet demand during the heatwave.

And a spokesman for the Environment Agency in Cumbria and the North West said talks were already underway to prepare for drought orders to be made.

He said: "It is a serious situation. The Met office has said there will be no significant rainfall in June.

"If there is no significant change in the next couple of weeks in the temperature and rainfall, there will be decisions to be made about a drought.

"It is a watching brief, but there are a lot of conversations going on about it."

An extra 500 million litres of water a day, an increase of 25%, is being pumped through the system by United Utilities as householders and businesses struggle with the hot weather.

Under normal circumstances, that amount would supply everyone in Cumbria for a week.

"Since Saturday we have been supplying a total of 2.2billion litres a day, which is a record amount," said a spokesperson for the company.

On average, one person uses 140 litres of water a day.

While the Haweswater and Thirlmere reservoirs are the main sources of water for Manchester and parts of Lancashire, United Utilities can also draw water from North Wales to help satisfy demand.

The water company has already urged people in the north west to conserve water by not washing cars, watering gardens and by taking a shower rather than a bath.

There is no hosepipe ban yet, but that could come soon.

The spokesperson said: "It is not that we don't have the water. We had quite a good winter in terms of rainfall, but it has been extremely dry from May through to the end of June and looking ahead to July, there is not much rain forecast.

"Water levels are lower than we would expect at this time of the year.

"Our reservoir levels are at 73% overall. We are keeping a very close eye on our resources and demand.

"We make a decision every day as to whether we might need to impose a hosepipe ban.

"If it does not get any better, the chances of that happening increase.

"The problem is that as fast as we can get water into the pipes, it ois being used and that can cause a loss of pressure in some areas."

Dr Alan Goodman, the Met Office expert for Cumbria and the north west of England said there were plans being made if water shortages should occur.

He said there are no signs of any significant rainfall for at least a week.

* Turn to the Agenda on page 12 to see how the heatwave has affected Cumbria.