Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
U-turn on the taps?
Downpours may see Sunday’s hosepipe ban plan cancelled
WATER chiefs decide today if next week’s hosepipe ban should be scrapped.
River and reservoir levels are being examined in the wake of the deluge that hit large parts of the UK over the weekend.
Some places had more rain in a few hours than the average for the entire month.
But the heatwave is expected to make a blistering return this week. And experts fear the downpours were not have enough to prevent hosepipes and sprinklers being switched off in the North West on Sunday.
United Utilities, the UK’S largest water supplier with seven million customers, was the only firm to announce a restriction.
Such a move would reduce water usage by 5% to 10% or 100 million litres per day.
The firm has been criticised for a £180million dividend to shareholders while losing a quarter of its supply through leaks – said to be enough to fill 175 Olympic-sized pools daily.
United Utilities said: “A large team will be looking at our resources following the rainfall.
“There is a lot of that data to get through. In terms of the hosepipe ban, that has not changed, as yet. It is possible it might once we have all the data.”
The recent rain now means the month will be wetter than during the 1976 heatwave.
An average 1.96in of rain has fallen across the UK from July 1 to July 29, whereas 42 years ago the July figure was 1.70in.