Multiple firms announce hosepipe bans as England bakes in third heatwave

(by Karma Loveday)

A number of water companies in the south and east announced temporary use bans last week, as England endured the third heatwave of the year following a dry Spring, and rivers and water supplies came under strain.

Anglian Water issued a hosepipe ban on Friday (enforceable from 11 July), citing that it has been producing 30% more water than usual; that most regional rivers are below normal with some notably low or exceptionally low; and that reservoir storage has been dropping faster than expected.

Cambridge Water announced a ban on Thursday (enforceable from 17 July) for similar reasons including a 30% increase in demand, but also emphasising the need to protect the health of chalk streams.

Affinity Water issued a ban for its Central region on Friday, covering Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and parts of London and Essex. It said demand was up 20% and that it was receiving less water than usual from Graham Reservoir, which usually caters for 10% of Central region demand.

Further south, the Environment Agency formally moved Hampshire and the Isle of Wight into ‘prolonged dry weather’ status and Southern Water put a hosepipe ban in place for both areas. They are supplied by the chalk River Test, which is down 25% on normal levels.

These companies joined South East Water, which already issued a ban for Kent.

The National Drought Group will next meet on 20 July to further review the situation.

• The strongest motivators for customers to shift water use off peak would be financial rewards or incentives (44%) and lower bills/charges at certain times (42%). That’s according to research from the Consumer Council for Water. It asked 665 members of its Water Voice panel community about their water use during the heatwave in late June. The aim was to provide fresh, real-time insight into how customers responded to the recent hot weather.

Only a third (37%) were aware that many people using water at the same time could cause pressure or supply issues, and 53% said they had not moved any activities to non-peak times during the heat. However, 82% said they had taken action to save water – but 81% admitted to using more water than usual during hot weather. 77% said they expect to hear communications about water saving from their water provider during hot, dry periods.