HEATWAVE BRITS 4 - MIN WARNING
Water bosses’ drought plea
SWELTERING Brits should forget having baths and spend no more than four minutes in the shower to save water during the hot weather.
Utility bosses have told customers soaking up the sizzling 32.6C sunshine: “It’s really important to reduce wastage.”
PEOPLE are being ordered to cut shower times to just four minutes as sun-kissed Britain faces a drought.
The mercury soared again yesterday to 32.6C – the hottest day of the year – as the heatwave roars on.
But with the threat of a hosepipe ban looming, water chiefs have urged people to cut the amount of time they spend in the shower.
Forecasters are predicting wall-towall sunshine and higher temperatures over the coming days.
And with no rain forecast, experts are predicting the driest June since records began.
It has sparked a water crisis, with people even being advised to share showers with friends.
Water company Southern said: “With temperatures rising and a heatwave sweeping across the UK, we are hitting peak demand for water.
“It’s important that we all do what we can to reduce wastage, come rain or shine.
“This can include simple measures such as swapping baths for a four-minute shower.”
It is hotter than summer holiday hotspots such as Ibiza and Mexico with the Met Office yesterday reporting the new high of 32.6C was set in Porthmadog, Gwynedd.
The heatwave claimed another potential victim after a 70-year-old man collapsed and died cycling in Cymmer in the Rhondda Valley.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes have slashed the odds that the hottest day on record will be set this summer to 3-1.
Spokesman Alex Apati said: “There’s now every chance we will see a recordbreaking day in the next few weeks.” Meanwhile, exhausted firefighters expect the huge Saddleworth Moor blaze to last weeks as Britain’s heatwave continues into next month.
Fire chiefs are relying on a downpour to help extinguish the inferno.
A hundred soldiers and an RAF Chinook helicopter were drafted in by the Army to help tackle the fire in Greater Manchester.
Locals have reported nose bleeds, plus eye and chest problems.
Manchester fire chief Tony Hunter said: “It would have to be a significant downpour because it is so dry it would be absorbed very, very quickly.”
Manchester Fire and Rescue thanked the Ministry of Defence for the “huge help to our firefighters”.
MAKE no mistake, we’ve all welcomed this prolonged heatwave.
The UK is enjoying its driest June since records began.
But as with most good things in life, it comes at a cost.
Boiling temperatures have already caused unprecedented fires on Saddleworth Moor.
And inevitably, Britain is facing its first serious water shortage in years.
Forecasters are predicting weeks more blistering sunshine that could trigger hosepipe bans and water rationing.
Water supplier Southern is even warning customers to take showers of no longer than four minutes.
You could always show your green side by taking a leaf out of the Love Island contestants’ book. Why not jump in the shower with a pal?