Dry weather and lockdown leave us gasping for water

SOME areas of the country are without tap water because of a surge in demand as a result of the hot, dry weather and the lockdown.

Water companies have seen demand rise 25 per cent more than average for the time of year – up to 40 per cent at peak evening times – as families switch on the garden sprinklers.

Severn Trent has had to supply bottled water to households in Staffordshire and Nottingham as it struggled to meet demand.

England has just experienced its driest May on record, leaving grass parched, while the lockdown has meant more families at home have been tending to their gardens, washing up and using paddling pools at the same time.

Water companies say they have enough supplies in their reservoirs after a particularly wet winter, but have been unable to pump quickly enough to keep the taps flowing at peak times in some parts of the country.

However, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has warned that advice to the public to save water could discourage people from washing their hands, which is vital in the battle to keep down the coronavirus infection rates.

Although the Government and water companies want people to save water as much as they can, they must continue to wash their hands.

Instead, they have recommended taking shorter showers, ensuring the dishwasher is full and on an eco setting before switching it on, and reusing water from baths and paddling pools for watering the flower beds. “The hot spell just means it’s good to think about how we can all be aware of what we’re using and work together to use water wisely. If we can smooth demand across the day, that’s better for everyone,” said industry body Water UK.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency sent specialists in Shropshire to rescue fish stranded in dried rivers, after three months of dry weather. Urging a 20 per cent cut in domestic water use, the agency warned that the country could suffer a water crisis within 25 years.