Fresh from her ground breaking exclusive – that just so happened to be “categorically not true” – the Guardian’s environment reporter Helena Horton issued a stark warning a fortnight ago that UK river levels were going to be “devastated” by a dry spring. To be fair she quoted experts from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology who warned two weeks ago in their monthly outlook of “extended dry conditions”. This may surprise any UK-based co-conspirators who have happened to so much as look outside recently – as Storm Mathis is bringing nationwide rainfall. There’s even a rain weather warning in place… Hope the hydrology boffins have got their umbrellas today.

This wasn’t the article’s only slip-up. The Guardian issued a correction because to illustrate these uncharacteristically low river levels, they used an image of the River Ribble. The River Ribble is tidal.

Helena’s inclement forecast is far from her first foray into misleading stories. In addition to her widely publicised Attenborough story, linked above, she’s previously reported that the Ritz took grouse off the menu – they hadn’t – and that Brits travelled to Iceland to hunt puffins 100 at a time – they didn’t. Helena ‘half-truth’ Horton should rain it in…