Water bosses axe hosepipe ban – for now
UNITED Utilities has scrapped the hosepipe ban – three days before it was due to come into force.
Bosses said water supplies were now at a high enough level to call off the planned ban, which was set to start on Sunday.
A spokesman said slightly cooler temperatures and recent rainfall have eased the demand for water.
That, along with efforts by customers to save water, has helped water levels in reservoirs, meaning that there is no longer any need to bring in the restrictions at this time.
The first half of the summer in the UK has been the driest since 1961.
United Utilities warn that a hosepipe ban may not be completely off the table if the dry weather continues throughout August and beyond.
Dr Martin Padley, water services director, said: “We would like to thank all of our customers who have helped in recent weeks by conserving water wherever they can around the home and in the garden.
“Our leakage teams are working 24 hours a day to find and repair as many leaks as possible and we have been moving water around our network.
“We have also been making operational interventions such as installation of new pumping stations, pumping between reservoirs, bringing ground water sources into use and prioritising maintenance to help ensure supplies have not been interrupted during the prolonged hot spell.
“Given the improved position, helped by recent rainfall, we do not want to inconvenience customers unnecessarily at this time.
“However, the long range forecast from the Met Office is one of relatively dry weather into the autumn, so future restrictions are still a possibility if more rain doesn’t arrive.
“In the meantime, we are continuing to step up our own response and over the coming weeks you will see our teams out and about, bringing additional water supplies on line and fixing even more leaks.
“We are working closely with the Environment Agency in monitoring the water resources situation and we still urge customers to please help us by using water wisely where they can.”