Millions warned: Cut water use or face hosepipe ban
MILLIONS of households were yesterday urged to cut water use or face the prospect of a hosepipe ban as the Met Office extended its amber warning for extreme heat.
With school sports days scrapped and events cancelled amid accusations of a ‘snowflake’ culture, water bosses said customers should take shorter showers and avoid leaving taps running.
The Met Office yesterday updated its extreme heat warning to last from Sunday until the end of next Tuesday for most of England and Wales amid warnings of chaos on transport networks and in the NHS and other services.
Forecasters scaled down the likelihood of the mercury reaching a record 40C (104F) with temperatures expected to peak at around 35C (95F) early next week – well short of the 38.7C (102F) set in Cambridge in 2019.
Water shortages are worse in Yorkshire, where five million people have been given urgent advice to cut down on how much they use. Neil Dewis, from Yorkshire Water, said the amount stored in reservoirs had dwindled to levels last seen in 1995. He said restrictions such as a hosepipe ban could not be ruled out.
Customers in London were also urged to cut down on use by Thames Water, with tips including taking shorter showers and using watering cans instead of hosepipes to keep gardens green.
South East Water yesterday insisted reservoir and groundwater stores remained healthy but with domestic usage 50 per cent higher than normal, its head of water resources, Lee Dance urged customers to ‘play their part by using water wisely, so that we can continue to keep water flowing to everyone’. Temperatures topped 30C (86F) yesterday for the fourth day running, peaking at 30.1C in Gosport, Hampshire.
Wildlife continued to wilt in the heat, with reports of swift chicks dropping to the ground, while donkeys at a sanctuary in Devon were given grass frozen into blocks of ice.
After a cooler, wetter couple of days, temperatures are expected to soar again on Sunday, fuelled by red hot air from the continent.
Sleep is likely to be difficult with a string of ‘tropical nights’ where temperatures fail to drop below 20C (68F).
‘We’re looking at a prolonged spell of hot weather and very hot nights,’ Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said. Unions have urged firms to allow staff to work from home – sparking accusations of ‘Snowflake Britain’.
The Met Office and UK Health Security Agency have issued ‘danger to life’ alerts in advance of soaring temperatures.
Ministers are drawing up plans to safeguard the NHS, with ambulance trusts already on high alert.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday triggered a severe weather emergency response to provide support for people sleeping rough. Events already cancelled include a dog show in Bude, Cornwall, and a carnival in Hungerford, Berkshire.
‘We’re looking at very hot nights’