Today (15 July) is known as St Swithin's Day in the UK. According to folklore, if it rains on St Swithin's Day it will rain for the next 40 days in succession.* The British are, of course, fixated by weather, as evidenced by last month's heatwave. Whenever temperatures soar and the sun comes out, the nation goes into weather overdrive. "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun" wrote Noel Coward, not without some justification. Annette Farr looks at the opportunities open to water companies from the heat of a summer.