Overview
- Thames Water said this week that its temporary hosepipe restrictions affecting about 10.1 million customers are likely to remain until towards the end of the year to allow supplies and the environment to recover.
- More than 27 million people across England and Wales are now under temporary use bans after several large suppliers introduced restrictions to protect depleted rivers, reservoirs and groundwater.
- Storms and heavy downpours in August have given only limited local relief and water firms say weeks of sustained, widespread rain are needed to restore levels, not short spells of wet weather.
- Household demand surged during repeated heatwaves this summer, rising roughly 25% above normal at temperatures over 25C and up to 50% in hotter spells, while Thames Water reports losing about 569 million litres a day to leaks, which worsens supply strain.
- Bans bar hose use for garden watering, vehicle cleaning and filling pools or hot tubs and can be enforced with fines up to £1,000, and firms say the outlook could change if autumn rainfall linked to El Niño proves sustained.