Overview

• More than 8.5 million households across England remain subject to area-specific bans imposed by Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water to curb non-essential outdoor water use.
• Water providers point to one of the driest springs in over a century and England’s hottest June on record, combined with spikes in consumption, as drivers for the bans.
• Thames Water’s restrictions cover all OX, GL and SN postcodes plus RG4, RG8 and RG9, while South East Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water enforce bans in Kent and Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and large parts of Yorkshire respectively.
• The Environment Agency has placed parts of northwest England under formal drought status and urged urgent demand management to prevent widespread shortages.
• With forecasts for temperatures up to 34°C this week, water firms warn that further restrictions may follow if reservoir levels do not recover with significant rainfall.