By Rowenna Hoskin

Copyright bbc

South-west Wales moved into prolonged dry weather status on 22 May, and has now moved into recovery from prolonged dry weather status.

NRW said its teams would continue to monitor river flows, as well as groundwaters which respond to rainfall more slowly.

Groundwaters remain a concern, with some still exceptionally low for the time of year, it added.

Dr Thomas said: “Sufficient rainfall throughout the autumn will now be essential for river flows and groundwaters to fully recover before next spring.

“While September has brought some significant rainfall – even leading to flood warnings and surface water flooding incidents – in some areas we are still seeing rivers regressing back after the rainfall has landed.

“This is a sign of the extreme pressure our environment has been under during this exceptionally dry period.”