Sunderland Kubix festival organisers left with 'significant' restoration work due to wet weather
Organisers of one of the region's biggest music festivals have said that recent years of wet weather has left them with "significant" restoration work to do on the festival site.
Herrington Country Park in Sunderland has played host to Kubix and Monument Festival. Although the rain may not have dampened spirits during the festivals, it's had a big impact on the parkland.
It comes as the latest Met Office State of the UK Climate report shows that last year saw some of the wettest and warmest months on record.
Video report by Julia Bathram.
Kubix music festival organiser, Alex Hutchinson said the impact of wet weather has meant that they are not "not far" from the "worst case scenario".
He added: "Some very intensive works over the next week to re-level everything, get everything put back exactly as it should look, get it all reseeded and get some nice grass back through it.
"Between the additional work that's needed to keep the site safe in challenging conditions and the work to put it all back the way that the site should be and was before we arrived, it's a six figure sum."
Mr Hutchinson added: "We're even two thirds of the way through the summer and 25% of the outdoor festival industry has already disappeared.
"As an organisation we're now moving to a point where the wet weather plan is actually just the plan."
The Met Office State of the UK Climate report is published explaining why this ground is so wet.
In 2023 March, July, October and December were all in the top-ten wettest months since records began 200 years ago.
The first time this has happened for four separate months in the same calendar year.
As well as getting wetter, the UK is also getting warmer. Last year February, May, June and September were all ranked in the top ten warmest months in 150 years.
At a residential home in Newcastle, bosses are taking precautions to avoid the dangers that increased heat can bring.
Natalia Thompson, from Eothen Homes, said: "We take it very seriously, obviously dehydration's a very huge one.
"Trying to push fluids all the time, especially in the hotter months. Heat stroke, sun stroke, it's harder to breathe in the heat.
"Ice pops, ice creams, making sure the residents get to enjoy the sunshine but staying safe."
The report shows the number of "hot" days, 28 celsius or above and "extremely wet" days in the UK are both increasing, and the cause is man made greenhouse gasses.
Prof Hayley Fowler from Newcastle University said: "What people don't realise is that the type of extreme weather events they're experiencing now are probably the least extreme ones we are going to experience in our lifetimes.
"Actually as we continue to emit more green house gasses into the atmosphere these extreme events are going to get worse, more frequent and more intense and more impactful on society."
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