THESE dramatic photos show just how much water has been lost from West Yorkshire’s reservoirs this summer.

While the rest of us have enjoyed record-breaking temperatures and months of unbroken sunshine, water supply officials have been watching anxiously as reservoir levels dropped.

And just how much they have fallen are shockingly illustrated in these photos taken by Telegraph & Argus Camera Club member Scott Rawson earlier this week.

Scott visited Baitings Reservoir, which lies close to Ripponden, and was startled by what he saw.

“Despite the rain over the past few weeks the water level is still so low that it has revealed a whole new landscape,” he said.

“You can clearly see waterfalls, cliffs and long-lost bridges.

“The brown line is a graphic illustration of where the water level usually is.”

Baitings Reservoir is situated in the valley of the River Ryburn and is one of two reservoirs which supply water to Wakefield. It was completed in 1956 and is operated by Yorkshire Water.

Of course, this is not the first time the region’s reservoirs have run low.

In 1995 convoys of giant tankers had to be used to transport water from Kielder reservoir, in the North-East, to keep taps running in Yorkshire.

At its height some 600,000 homes and businesses faced the prospect of cut-offs and restricted supplies.

Bradford was one of the worst hit. At the time, officials said the drought was a once-in-200 years eventuality.

The emergency cost Yorkshire Water £3m a week and eventually led to the resignation of then chief executive Sir Gordon Jones.

It was a public relations disaster and an important lesson about being prepared for every eventuality.

Since then Yorkshire Water has invested billions in a sophisticated grid system which enables it to move water around the region. In this way officials can be sure the region is using all its reserves without needing to rely on outside help.

The company’s preparations enabled the region to ride out this year’s long hot summer without needing another tanker convoy rescue operation.