Lawnmower sales driven by wettest summer for a century

Lawnmower sales have risen by up to 84 per cent after the wettest summer for 100 years caused lawns to grow fast, while at the same time keeping gardeners out of their patches. Bosch Lawn and Garden has reported a sales increase of 84 per cent on its Electric Rotary mowers during August. Horticulture Week analysis of garden centre sales shows garden machinery category returns from 19-26 August 95 per cent higher those of 2011 in the same week. Bosch Lawn and Garden brand manager Joao Barufi said: "August is traditionally a popular month for buying garden tools and equipment, but such an increase indicates that many consumers have waited all summer for better weather before out their lawns. "Interestingly, sales of chainsaws, hedge cutters and leaf blowers, normally purchased in the Autumn, have seen steady sales during the spring and summer months as the changeable weather has impacted the seasonal gardening calendar." England and Wales have seen the wettest summer for 100 years, according to MeteoGroup. Rainfall for June, July and August was 362mm, making it the wettest summer since 1912. The average summer rainfall across the UK is 226.9mm. The record for the UK's wettest summer is 1912 when 384.4mm of rain fell. The Met Office said this summer is also likely to be one of the dullest on record with just 399 hours of sunshine up to August 28. This would make it the least sunny since 1980 when there were 396 hours of sunshine. The UK's second wettest summer since 1912 was in 2007 when 357.8mm (14.09in) of rain fell. Of the three summer months, August looks set to be the driest and sunniest across the UK with 105.5mm (4.15in) of rain to August 29, according to the Met Office.

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