Hosepipe ban announced for parts of UK as drought takes hold

Ban will come into effect on Friday, Yorkshire Water said, after region entered drought status last month

A hosepipe ban has been announced in Yorkshire after the region saw one of its driest springs on record.

Yorkshire Water said on Tuesday that a temporary use ban (TUB) will come into effect from Friday 11 July, restricting the use of hosepipes to water gardens, wash private vehicles, fill domestic pools or clean outdoor surfaces until there has been “significant rainfall” in the area.

The organisation said the region has experienced both the driest and warmest spring on record this year, receiving just 15cm of rainfall between February and June, less than half what is expected in an average year.

There has also been a higher water demand, leaving the region’s reservoirs at 55.8 per cent full, which is 26.1 per cent lower than they would normally be at this time of year.

Water resources are under pressure in Yorkshire due to the warm weather (PA)

Yorkshire Water’s director of water, Dave Kaye, said: “We need to take action now to help conserve water and protect Yorkshire’s environment.

“That means from Friday this week, people across Yorkshire will need to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.

“Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place.”

Yorkshire residents will still be able to wash their cars and water their gardens using tap water from a bucket or watering can, while businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.

Members of the public cross the dam wall at Baitings Reservoir in West Yorkshire (AP)

“These restrictions are intended to make sure that we have enough supply for the essential needs of people across the region this year and next, as well as making sure we’re able to protect our local environment,” Mr Kaye said.

“With more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks, it is likely our stocks will continue to fall, so we need to act now to maintain clean water supplies and long-term river health.

“Having restrictions in place also allows us to apply for drought permits from the Environment Agency, which means we can abstract more water from our rivers and reduce compensation flows out of our reservoirs so that we can continue to provide the water our customers rely on us for.

“The restrictions will come into effect on 11 July and will be in place until the region has seen significant rainfall to bring reservoirs and groundwater stocks back to where they need to be. This may last into the winter months, but we will lift the usage restrictions as soon as we are able.”

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said: “This will help our region’s reservoir levels recover and protect Yorkshire's water resources throughout the summer months, following one of the driest springs on record and the region being in drought.

“We've tried everything possible to avoid these restrictions, and despite our customers’ help to save water where they can and our efforts to manage water resources, including adding an extra 100 people to our leakage team and upgrading our infrastructure to reduce leaks and bursts, the dry weather and warmer-than-usual temperatures have increased demand.”

The Environment Agency declared a drought in Yorkshire on 12 June, following the driest spring for 132 years. The agency had previously declared drought status in the northwest of England in May.

It comes ahead of a predicted third heatwave set to hit the UK by the end of next week, with temperatures expected to climb into the low-30s, and the heat is forecast to remain at night.