Britain's biggest water company, Thames Water, has announced a hosepipe ban for 10.1 million customers as large parts of the country move closer to drought status. The restriction, also known as a temporary use ban (TUB), will come into effect at 12.01am on Thursday.
Who is affected?
The ban applies to all customers that Thames Water supplies with drinking water across London, the Thames Valley and the Home Counties – but not to waste-only customers. It means hosepipes should not be used for watering gardens, cleaning cars or windows, or filling paddling pools, hot tubs or swimming pools.
Thames Water is the latest in a string of utilities to announce a temporary use ban in recent weeks. Officials say 23 million people across England are now under or facing restrictions.
Why is this happening?
The ban comes as dry and hot conditions continue for large parts of the country, after three heatwaves and the driest spring on record for England and Wales. This is causing pressure on water resources to intensify rapidly, with the hot weather pushing up demand as people consume more to stay cool, water gardens, sustain crops and protect infrastructure.
The Environment Agency said “prolonged dry weather” has been declared in eight areas: East Anglia, the West Midlands, Devon, Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and London, Wessex, Thames, Solent and the South Downs. This means these areas are one stage away from official drought status.
Water levels and demand
Six reservoirs are also classed as having “notably low” levels, including Wimbleball in Somerset, Grafham in Cambridgeshire and Hanningfield in Essex. Only 13% of rivers are classed at normal levels for this time of year, with the Avon (Hampshire), Cam, Derwent (Yorkshire), Swale, Tone, Wye and Yare seeing exceptionally low levels.
Thames Water said demand is 10% above normal in the Thames Valley and the Home Counties, and 7% above normal in London, amounting to customers using an extra 100 million litres every day. The firm said it will keep the situation under review and lift restrictions as soon as it is safe.
Company and official statements
Nevil Muncaster, director of strategic water resources at Thames Water, said: “We would not be taking this step unless it was necessary to protect water supplies for everyone and the environment. While there is enough water for essential use, we need to reduce non-essential outdoor demand to keep taps flowing.” He added that teams are working around the clock to keep water moving, fix leaks and support customers.
While the firm said it plans for periods of dry weather and increased summer demand, it added that the scale and duration of recent demand is having a “significant impact” on water resources.
Other bans in place
On Monday, South East Water announced that a hosepipe ban in Kent will be extended to parts of Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire from Saturday. Bans are also in place for Southern Water customers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and South West Water customers in parts of Devon and Lyme Regis in Dorset. Customers of Cambridge Water, Affinity Water and Anglian Water, which supply areas in the East of England, have also introduced restrictions.
The National Drought Group, which brings together the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, farmers and conservation experts, said its members have increased their work to respond to the pressure on water resources. This includes heightened incident response, additional monitoring and more cross-sector and public communication.
Helen Wakeham, chairwoman of the National Drought Group and director of water at the Environment Agency, said: “All sectors are taking action, and we are grateful to the public for following the restrictions, where in place, to make sure there is enough water for everyone this summer. We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated during the hot weather but every drop we can save is a drop more for nature and agriculture.”
