Severn Trent Water is asking visitors to steer clear of newly exposed mud at Tittesworth Reservoir near Leek as a result of lower than normal water levels for this time of year.

The relatively low reservoir levels, which have been caused by essential maintenance work at alternative supplies for the area, have also exposed a number of buildings that have not been seen since the reservoir was created 50 years ago.

Sarah Gould, Visitor Site Supervisor at Tittesworth, said:

“We’ve got a lot of soft mud which people can very easily get stuck in if they try to walk across it, so we’d urge visitors to stay away from the foreshore and away from the mud, especially as we’ve already had to rescue a few people who got stuck all the way up to their waist.”

Severn Trent Water is hoping that recent rainfall, and the coming wet autumn and winter will see  reservoir levels return to normal. However, the water company said that in the event of a drier than expected winter it will increase its leakage fixing programme.

It also warned that it may need customers to help by taking simple steps such as only running dishwashers and washing machines when they are full or by turning the tap off when brushing their teeth.