Thames Water has confirmed that the hosepipe ban in London is set to remain in place until “towards the end of the year,” according to a company executive. Despite recent rainfall, the restriction will not be lifted in the coming weeks.
Thames Water Explains Extended Ban
Nevil Muncaster, strategic water resources director at Thames Water, explained that supplies had been depleted during the recent heatwaves, where temperatures reached as high as 38C in London. He noted there had been a “huge demand on top of our normal supplies.”
Pressed on the ban’s duration, Muncaster said: “Clearly, it's still dry. The Environment Agency forecast is that it will be drier than normal for the next few months, but we'll wait and see. But at the same time, we'll make sure what we're going to do is protect the environment, make sure we see our groundwater and river flows.”
When asked if this meant a ban for weeks or a couple of months, he added: “Realistically, it's going to be towards the end of the year before that comes off.”
Water Usage and Reservoir Levels
Thames Water is urging customers to continue reducing water usage, stating that household demand has fallen by 3% across London and more than 6% across the Thames Valley and home counties since the hosepipe ban was introduced on July 23.
The utility firm reported that London reservoir storage is at 74%, lower than expected for this time of year, but the Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire is 92% full. Rainfall in the Thames catchment area during July was less than 1mm, just 2% of the long-term average. Customers used about 100 million litres more water every day than normal, putting additional pressure on rivers, reservoirs and the water network.
Wider Water Restrictions and Weather Outlook
Thames Water has faced criticism over the level of leakages leading to lost supplies. Earlier this week, customers were urged to use water only for “essential” purposes after thousands of Kent homes experienced supply issues. South East Water warned its customers in the county that water levels in drinking storage tanks remain “critically low.” Supply had been restored to 7,400 properties in Herne Bay, Rough Common and Blean by Tuesday.
A hosepipe ban began for all of Wessex Water’s 1.4 million customers across areas in Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire on Tuesday, marking the company’s first ban in 50 years since the summer of 1976. More than 27 million people across England have had hosepipe use restricted after months of hot and dry weather.
Cooler and wetter conditions have arrived after the UK’s fifth heatwave of the summer, during which the hottest day of the year was recorded at Kew Gardens, London, with a temperature of 38.1C. Forecasts indicate another heatwave may come in September. Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “I suspect many people across England and Wales will at least enjoy the feel of some rain falling out of the sky during the next few days. But it’s not going to solve the drought situation overnight because we’re not expecting huge amounts and it will be highly variable because a lot of it will come in the form of showers.”
