The old bridge that can now been seen in a Pennine reservoir after water levels dropped

A scorching summer and a lack of rain fall has revealed an old bridge at a reservoir after water levels dropped during the heatwave.

One solitary figure was pictured walking across the old Road Bridge at Baitings Reservoir, near Ripponden, West Yorks. As Britain baked in record temperatures, a rare danger-to-life warning was put in place for parts of northern England.

The highest ever temperature was recorded in the UK at 40.3C in Coningsby, eastern England on Tuesday (July 19). Previously the highest temperature recorded in Britain was 38.7C, set in 2019.

Read more:Major police presence with fire crews at scene after body found in Oldham - live updates

Some beauty spots across the north even dried up so severely that mudbeds were exposed and left deep cracks appearing in a desert-like landscape. But even though the temperatures have dropped and the region has had some rainfall in recent days, water levels are still low.

Built in 1956, Baitings Reservoir is a large water supply reservoir operated by Yorkshire Water. It lies in the valley of the River Ryburn and is one of two reservoirs built to supply Wakefield.

The reservoir takes the name of the hamlet that was flooded under the new dam. The hamlet of Baitings was on an old road linking Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The dam took eight years to complete at a cost of £1.4 million, and is located at 840 feet (256 m) above sea level. The reservoir is surrounded by woodland and popular with walkers and at various points offers impressive views of the neighbouring moors.

Read today's top stories here