wet weather costs the uk £9.5bn*
according to a new survey conducted by researchers from comfort fast dry fabric conditioner, britain's rainy climate costs the country £9.5 billion a year; ruined clothes, cancelled events and increased heating bills leaves the average briton £260 worse off as a result of wet weather.swansea, meanwhile, was revealed as britain's wettest city with an average rainfall of 1360.8mm (53in) a year, costing the city's residents an estimated £582.4 million.
londonderry, in northern ireland, with 1122.5mm (44in) of a rain a year was the second rainiest city in the uk, with glasgow, plymouth and cardiff filling the next three positions.
however, manchester, the butt of countless wet weather jokes, came a lowly ninth in the rainfall table - although its residents easily paid out the most as a result of its weather, with a combined bill of £653.5 million.
the figures were calculated by multiplying the city's population by the £260 average that briton are estimated to spend each year on wet weather dramas.
not surprisingly rain made more than half of the population feeling depressed (58%), and is also blamed by 52% of britons for making them late for work at least once a month.
model and reality tv star jordan, meanwhile, was named by male respondents as the celebrity they would most like to towel them dry after a good soaking with 42% of the vote. robbie williams was the most popular choice amongst women with 32%. gay men and women were apparently not asked to reply to this question.
the survey was based on the responses of eight thousand apparent heterosexualists across the united kingdom.
*a UK billion is 1012 whereas in the US it's 109.
via ananova.
