Thames Water announces date for hosepipe ban

Thames Water has announced when it intends to enforce a hosepipe ban in the Thames Valley as dry conditions put pressure on the UK's water supply.

The water company, which serves areas including Slough, Windsor and parts of South Bucks, says that the measure - also known as a temporary use ban (TUB) - will start from 12:01am on Wednesday, August 24. 

Last week, the Environment Agency announced a drought across 14 of its areas - including the Thames Valley - with rainfall and reservoir levels extremely low.

The UK experienced the driest July since 1885 with hottest temperatures on record, and the River Thames reached its lowest level since 2005.

Thames Water says that its TUB will help save 10 per cent of water as it works to ensure 'the taps keep running for customers’ essential use'. 

Domestic customers should not use hosepipes for cleaning cars, watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling pools and swimming pools and cleaning windows, it added. 

South East Water - which supplies Maidenhead - said last week that it was not planning to introduce its own TUB at this stage.

The recent heatwave and extreme temperatures have resulted in the highest demand water in more than 25 years with Thames Water supplying 2.9 billion litres of water a day to customers across its region.

In some areas during the hot weather, demand for water rose by 50 per cent.

Despite some thunderstorms forecast this week, no significant rain has been predicted by the Met Office and Thames Water says that it has taken 'a number of measures' to boost its water resources.

This includes work to reduce leaks and implementing campaigns to encourage customers to use less water.

Alongside the leakage reduction programme, Thames Water is drawing 120 million litres of groundwater from its North London Aquifer Recharge System (NLARS) to top-up the water stored in its reservoirs.

While the TUB does not cover businesses, Thames Water is asking firms across its area to be mindful of the drought and to use water wisely.

Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO, said: "Implementing a TUB for our customers has been a very difficult decision to make and one which we have not taken lightly.

"After months of below average rainfall and the recent extreme temperatures in July and August, water resources in our region are depleted.

"Despite investing in the largest leakage reduction programme in the UK, customer demand is at unprecedented levels and we now have to move into the next phase of our drought plan to conserve water, mitigate further risk and futureproof supplies.

“I’d like to thank all of our customers for the efforts they have already made to conserve water as a result of the media campaign we have been running since May.

"Reducing demand means reducing the amount of water we have to take from the environment at a time when it is under pressure.

"I would also like to apologise to our customers who have been affected by recent incidents, our dedicated colleagues are working around the clock to manage this challenging situation.”

Thames Water estimates that 150 litres of water are used per person every day.

It said that it will be working with its regulators and the water industry to secure future water supplies, including options for water transfers from other areas around the country. 

For more information, visit www.thameswater.co.uk/water-restrictions