Water feature turned off because weather was too hot

Fountains used by playing children during hot weather were turned off during the recent heatwave because the council could not monitor them as necessary.

Somerset Council said the water feature in Yeovil's amphitheatre needed extra treatment and monitoring during temperatures above 25C, which it was unable to staff due to resourcing issues.

Yeovil town councillor Tareth Casey said it was "somewhat ironic" a water feature which could help people cool off struggled to work during hot weather.

Somerset Council said it had learned from the incident and was "actively exploring how to increase resilience during future heatwaves".

Temperatures in Somerset soared above 30C at the end of May, as records were broken in London and the south east of England.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said the water feature at The Triangle required chemical treatment like a swimming pool.

"In very hot weather, as more people enter the feature, it impacts the bromine and pH levels through the volume of people, sun cream, increased evaporation etc," they explained.

The fountains, which send jets of water up from the ground of the amphitheatre, were funded by the government's future high streets fund and opened to the public in January 2025.

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