DOWNCAST villagers in Eglwys­wrw were drowning their sorrows after just failing to break the UK record for the number of consecutive rainy days.

They had hoped the incessant rains would have continued until­ Sunday to smash the record of 89 successive rainy days recorded on the Scottish island of Islay in 1923.

But anxious residents scanning the cloudless skies for rain last Tuesday were left disappointed by their first dry day since the end of October.

“We were going to have a party if we broke the record on Sunday and the way I’m feeling right now I might still have a couple of pints of home brew just to cheer myself up,” one resident, who declined to be named, told the Cambrian News.

Musician Sarah-Jane Absalom, who had not seen a dry day since her family moved to the village 12 weeks ago was similarly despondent.

“Having endured the rain for so long we were hoping it would hang around for just a few more days,” she said. “When I got up this morning and saw a clear blue sky I knew we were in trouble.

“When it got a little greyer a bit later on I thought there might still be a chance, but the rain just never came.

“Over the past week everyone has quite literally been praying for rain, although I haven’t actually seen anyone out there doing a rain dance!”