First hosepipe ban of summer as moorland fires leave reservoirs low
BRITAIN’S first hosepipe ban of the summer has been announced in the region where reservoir water has been used to battle weeks of moorland fires.
People in the North West will be forbidden from using hoses or sprinklers from Aug 5 unless there is a sustained period of rain in the next three weeks, which is not expected. Anyone breaking the ban could be prosecuted in court and fined up to £1,000.
United Utilities said the firefighting effort on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester, had coincided with a 25 per cent increase in customer demand in what was thought to be the longest heatwave since 1976.
Martin Padley, its water services director, said: “Despite some recent rainfall, reservoir levels are still lower than we would expect at this time of year and, with forecasters predicting a return to hot dry weather for the rest of July, we are now at a point where we will need to impose some temporary restrictions on customers.