The stereotypes about Manchester weather have been given a lengthy airing in Late August after a few rain delays in the Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, cricket being a sport more vulnerable to the elements than most. While we all know these are exaggerated, they are also not entirely untrue.

Yes, the game finished with a clear result in four days when other matches around the country were rained off and there was no repeat of last year, when two days of rain were Australia’s Ashes-saving player of the series. But every gardener in Manchester knows there are plenty of days every summer when it is distinctly damp out there.

Sometimes, especially this year, it can be particularly bad and one problem some households face is a waterlogged lawn. There are things that can be done about this, such as digging drainage trenches, installing French drains and adding other means of collecting water, such as a water butt to capture run-off from roofs and gutters.

However, there is another solution; artificial grass laid on top of a drainage system. This may be useful if you have a particularly persistent problem with lawn flooding, such as if there is a lot of clay in the soil or the topography means water flows down a slope onto it.

Artificial grass is not just about the surface layer; you can combine it with an effective drainage system, which means it will not get waterlogged in the way that so many grass lawns do.

Part of that can simply be achieved by having the kind of backing that allows a lot of water to seep through easily. This enables the water to sink to the next level and not pool on top of it. Then, provided you have a good drainage system in place underneath or to the side, the water will drain away nicely even on very wet days.

Indeed, laying artificial grass can be an occasion for giving your entire garden a makeover precisely so you can drain it more easily. For example, you may lay more porous soil or gravel underneath, as well as drains to take the water away.

At Old Trafford, the huge flat expanse of grass is managed in a way the average householder never could. Quite apart from being flat, it has a very extensive multi-million pound drainage system below and a system of plastic covers and super-soppers that can be driven over the surface to soak up the water and dry it out.

That may be great for getting a game of cricket underway once the rain stops, but clearly, it goes far beyond the maintenance one might expect to have to carry out on a back lawn, even if your own kids fancy heading out on it with their own bat and ball.

However, with the right combination of easy-draining artificial turf and the right drainage around it, you can enjoy a lawn that stays looking good even on those days when the Manchester weather lives up to all those worst stereotypes.