THE North West's reservoirs are now so empty that Bolton and many of its neighbouring towns have been warned they will still be facing a water crisis at Christmas.

The hosepipe ban and other drought measures now seem certain to continue until at least the start of 1996.

North West Water chiefs insisted today that the situation really is THAT bad - even though rain was falling in many parts of the region.

More than a third of the Pennine reservoirs - including Wayoh, upper Rivington and Entwistle - are now almost empty. Wayoh, near Edgworth, is down to only seven per cent of its normal level. NWW's supplies chief Peter Birtwistle said today: "This is now as serious a situation as we have ever faced."

Hopes that the summer drought would be followed by a wet autumn have failed to materialise in the central and southern parts of NWW's catchment region.

Only the heavy rain of recent weeks in the Cumbrian fells has kept the taps running.

And NWW bosses admit that they are thanking their lucky stars that the old Manchester Corporation water board had the foresight more than 100 years ago to lay 90 mile aqueducts from Thirlmere and Haweswater to the most populated areas of the region.

Supplies from those two reservoirs are now sustaining large areas where local reservoirs have virtually run dry.

Some of the moorland reservoirs which drop in steps between Anglezarke and Horwich are now bone dry and sprouting lush vegetation.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.