Britons urged to ration water in heatwave, take four-minute showers and ‘learn to love a brown lawn’

Suppliers warn higher demand and irresponsible use could lead to people not having any water running through their taps

Britons are being urged to ration water as temperatures are expected to soar to 33C (Danny Lawson/PA)

People are being urged to ration water by having shorter showers and not watering gardens as temperatures are expected to soar to 33C.

The UK’s heatwave is predicted to send temperatures rising to 33C in parts of England on Monday, followed by the high 20s for most throughout the rest of the week until the mercury rises into the 30s again at the weekend.

Water companies are urging people not to waste water during the heatwave by avoiding washing cars, using sprinklers or taking long showers.

Suppliers have said higher demand and irresponsible use during hot weather spells could lead to people not having any water running through their taps.

This is not due to a shortage, but because companies may not be able to treat water quickly enough to keep up with the demand.

They called on people to find alternatives to cooling down rather than having cold showers, including taking a dip in a local swimming pool or the sea.

Anglian has asked its customers to limit showers to five minutes, avoid washing cars and “learn to love a brown lawn”, according to The Sun.

Yorkshire Water has gone one step further by calling for four-minute showers, while Severn Trent urged customers to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth and asking gardeners to use swap the hose for a watering can.

Suppliers have said higher demand and irresponsible use during hot weather spells could lead to people not having any water running through their taps (Danny Lawson/PA)

Affinity Water, which supplies parts of the southern and eastern parts of the UK, has asked people to avoid using sprinklers and hosepipes to save 1,000 litres an hour but added there is not an outright hosepipe ban.

The company has also suggested people avoid using large inflatable pools and only use dishwashers and washing machines when full.

Southern Water suggested there may be a need for a temporary hosepipe ban in certain areas where water is scarce.

A spokesman for the company said: “When the weather hots up, we all use more water and we can see our daily demand jump by hundreds of millions of litres.

“Drier weather means less rainfall too and this year we have experienced long periods. The places that we extract water from to supply our customers, like groundwater, rivers and reservoirs, will be lower.

People are being urged to take shorter showers and avoid washing cars as the UK heatwave continues (James Manning/PA )

“We do not anticipate the need for temporary use bans across the whole of our region in the coming months. However, we may require extra measures in certain areas where water is scarcer and the pressure on supply is greatest, such as Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

Anglian spokeswoman Sarah Castelvecchi told The Sun: “We want everyone to enjoy the fabulous sunshine and being outdoors.

“However we would like to ask everyone to think about how they are using their water.

“Every drop of water is precious, so we work hard to make sure there is enough to go around for both today and tomorrow.”

People are urged to find alternatives to cooling down rather than having cold showers, including taking a dip in a local swimming pool or the sea (Gareth Fuller/PA)

A Level Three Heat Health Alert has been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from 9am on Monday to 9am on Friday in the east and southeast of England, with the rest of the nation having a level 2 alert in place.

Councils are advising people to take precautions amid the soaring temperatures.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, has encouraged people to enjoy the sun safely and to check up on those who may be more vulnerable, including the elderly and those with heart and respiratory problems.

The whole of England is largely expected to experience sunny days with some cloud over the next week to match the temperatures of mid to high 20s.

The Met Office has predicted it will cool off a little on Friday, with the northwest and northeast of England predicted to have some rain with temperatures reaching highs of 19C, ahead of a warmer weekend.

Scotland and Northern Ireland meanwhile are predicted to have a cloudier week ahead, with rain forecast for Tuesday and Friday.

Clouds with sunny spells could be widespread across the two areas for the rest of the week, with temperatures remaining in the mid to high teens throughout the week.

They will also benefit from the scorching weekend temperatures ahead alongside some clouds, with highs of 22C predicted in Glasgow and Belfast.

Additional reporting by Press Association