DEVON County Council (DCC) neither directs nor funds any activity relating to weather modification, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has shown.

Weather modification refers to the act of intentionally manipulating the weather, something which DCC does not engage with, the FOI shows.

The most typical form weather modification takes is cloud seeding, which seeks to change the amount of precipitation in an area.

It involves spraying particles, such as silver iodide, onto clouds to affect their development, generally with the goal of increase rainfall.

The United States, India, China and Russia are among the countries that utilise cloud seeding.

But weather modification is not something Devon County Council dabbles in.

When asked whether it directs, funds or consents to any activity that ‘has the proposed outcome of weather modification (including research into weather modification), whether in the form of liquids, gases or solids released from aircraft into the atmosphere, or otherwise’, the council said no.