Thames Water has announced a hosepipe ban affecting millions of customers across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire, with restrictions taking effect from one minute past midnight on Tuesday 22 July.
The UK’s largest water supplier confirmed the Temporary Use Ban (TUB) will apply to all postcodes beginning with OX, GL, SN, as well as RG4, RG8 and RG9, following the Environment Agency’s decision to place the Thames area into its Prolonged Dry Weather category.
The restrictions come after England recorded its warmest June on record and the driest spring in over a century, leaving reservoir levels under severe pressure.
Unprecedented Weather Conditions Drive Decision
Nevil Muncaster, strategic water resources director at Thames Water, said the company had been forced to take action after months of challenging conditions. This has been a challenging spring and summer with big spikes in customer demand during hot dry days and very little rainfall to replenish local supplies in the Thames Valley,” he stated.
The water company, which serves 15.5 million people across London and the Thames Valley, reported that customer demand has reached unprecedented levels during the recent hot weather. In some areas, water usage has increased by up to 50 per cent compared to normal seasonal levels.
“Given the continued warm, dry weather we do not anticipate that the situation will improve any time soon so we have to take action now,” Muncaster added.
What the Ban Means for Customers
Under the Temporary Use Ban, customers in affected areas will be prohibited from using hosepipes for various non-essential activities. The restrictions specifically ban the use of hosepipes for watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling pools and swimming pools, cleaning cars, and washing windows.
However, customers can still undertake these activities using buckets or watering cans filled from taps. The ban also permits the use of water from alternative sources such as rainwater butts or private boreholes.
Businesses central to water usage, including garden centres and commercial car washes, are exempt from the restrictions. The ban does not apply to uses essential for health and safety, with blue badge holders and those on Thames Water’s Priority Services Register also receiving exemptions.
Industry Under Pressure
The announcement follows warnings from Thames Water’s chief executive Chris Weston in May, when he told MPs he was “not confident” the company could avoid restrictions this summer. Speaking to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Weston had highlighted that reservoir levels stood at 94 per cent in May, but acknowledged the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
Dr Jess Neumann, associate professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, explained the severity of the situation: “We have just had the driest spring in nearly 100 years, but even after the recent rain over the past week or so, this has not been enough to prevent restrictions.
She noted that during dry and warm weather, evaporation from surface water bodies further compounds the problem, lowering reservoir and river levels.
Regional Impact and Enforcement
The hosepipe ban affects a substantial portion of Thames Water’s customer base across the Thames Valley region. Similar restrictions have already been implemented by South East Water for customers in Kent and Sussex, and Yorkshire Water has imposed a ban affecting five million households.
Customers who breach the ban face potential prosecution and fines of up to £1,000. Thames Water has indicated it will initially send warning letters to those found violating the restrictions before pursuing formal enforcement action.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency confirmed that drought status has already been declared in north-west England, with other regions being closely monitored. Despite the rain over the weekend, levels remain low and we are encouraging people to be aware of the impacts of drought as we enter the summer period,” the agency stated.
Long-term Challenges
The current crisis has highlighted broader challenges facing the water industry. Thames Water loses approximately 630 million litres of water daily through leaks in its infrastructure – nearly 24 per cent of its total supply. The company has committed to spending £55 million on leakage reduction over the next three years, alongside £200 million on replacing water mains.
Industry experts have pointed to the need for significant infrastructure investment. Plans for a new reservoir in Oxfordshire, which would be the first major reservoir built in the UK since the 1990s, are not expected to begin construction until 2028.
Professor David Simon of Royal Holloway, University of London, warned about the long-term implications: “The quickening pace of climate change means that such conditions will become more frequent and dry periods sometimes more severe.
Customer Response Required
Thames Water is urging all customers, not just those in areas affected by the ban, to reduce water consumption. The company recommends simple measures such as taking shorter showers, turning off taps while brushing teeth, and allowing lawns to go dry during the summer months.
“Every drop of water we use comes from the environment and we have to balance protecting this while taking out the water needed to top-up reservoir levels,” Muncaster explained.
The National Drought Group, chaired by the Environment Agency, continues to coordinate responses across government, regulators and water companies. With no significant rainfall forecast in the coming weeks, further restrictions across other regions remain a possibility.
As climate patterns continue to shift, water companies and consumers alike face the challenge of adapting to increasingly volatile weather conditions and ensuring sustainable water supplies for the future.
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Image Credit:
Photo of water spigot with hose attached by J.smith, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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