Thursday 4 August 2022 03:31 PM Will there be a hosepipe ban in London? Scientists warn of 'zero rain' for next ... trends now
Some 17million more Britons could be hit by further hosepipe and sprinkler bans in the coming weeks, amid an alert that 'zero or no meaningful' rain is predicted for large parts of the country over the next fortnight.
South East Water has announced a ban from Friday next week, affecting 2.2million customers in Kent and Sussex - while a Southern Water ban for nearly one million people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight starts tomorrow.
Now, 17million more people in other parts of England could soon be hit by further bans after Thames Water and South West Water both warned they might soon have to bring in restrictions - which would affect 15million customers in London and the Thames Valley, and around two million in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
This would mean a total of 20million people could be affected by water-use restrictions in England. As it stands, the number of people under a ban from next Friday will stand at around 3.3million - also including the Isle of Man.
Thames Water's last hosepipe ban was in 2012 - and the company said that unless rain falls soon, which forecasters say is not likely, then 'the next stage of the plan would be to introduce a temporary use ban which is likely to include hosepipes'. It added: 'The timing will depend on the amount of water used by our customers.'
South West Water, which last imposed a ban in 1996, said: 'If the exceptional levels of demand and sustained dry weather continues we may have to make the difficult decision to introduce formal restrictions over the coming weeks to limit the pressure on resources and to protect the environment.'
The Environment Agency said it wanted water companies to 'consider' hosepipe bans to protect water resources.
BEFORE AND AFTER: Grantchester Meadows in Cambridge and the cricket pitch, shown in a file picture (left) and today (right)
BEFORE AND AFTER: Rushmere Pond at Wimbledon Common in South West London, in a file picture (left) and today (right)
BEFORE AND AFTER: Parliament Square in Westminster, shown in a file picture (left) and with parched ground today (right)
Parched ground surrounding Burley Cricket Club ground in the New Forest today, ahead of a hosepipe ban in Hampshire
The parched fairways and watered greens at the Cambridgeshire Golf Club in Bar Hill are pictured this morning
Parched ground at Portchester Castle in Hampshire today, ahead of a hosepipe ban in the county from tomorrow
Parched ground at Burley Golf Club in the New Forest today, ahead of a hosepipe ban in Hampshire which starts tomorrow
Residential houses next to parched ground in Portchester near Portsmouth today, ahead of the hosepipe ban in Hampshire
A group of people walk their dogs over parched ground in the New Forest today, as Hampshire prepares for a hosepipe ban
A fire warning sign at Richmond Park in South West London today following a long period of hot and dry weather
A worker waters plants in a park in London ahead of restrictions for hosepipe usage in other areas from tomorrow
It said in a statement: 'South East Water's announcement of a temporary use ban for its customers in Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex is one of many measures they and other water companies should consider to reduce unnecessary water use, and protect customer supplies and the environment.'
Southern Water's hosepipe ban will mean rogue use of a hosepipe for washing a car, watering plants or using a sprinkler on the lawn could result in a £1,000 fine in the courts.
A worker at the water plant in Beckton, East London, in 2010
A state-of-the-art water plant designed to protect hundreds of thousands of people from the effects of a drought has been switched off, it has been reported.
The £250million plant in Beckton, East London, will not work until next year at the earliest as Britain's dry spell continues.
As millions of people in the south of England prepare for a hosepipe ban, Thames Water admitted that the major water desalination plant has been switched off amid concerns over its functionality.
The plant, which was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 2010, is the only one in the UK designed to turn salty seawater into fresh water. Sources told the Daily Telegraph the plant has been 'mothballed' by Thames Water amid concerns over its high running costs.
'Our desalination plant is currently out of service due to necessary planned work,' a spokesman for Thames Water told the newspaper. 'Our teams are working as fast as possible to get it ready for use early next year, if we were to have another dry winter.'
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As exclusively revealed in yesterday's Daily Mail, South East Water announced a hosepipe ban to start next Friday, which will hit some two million customers in Kent and Sussex. The water firm blamed the driest July since records began and 'record breaking demand'.
But South East Water's ban is likely to enrage critics as the water firm loses around 88.5million litres of water a day to leaks - the equivalent of filling up 35 Olympic sized swimming pools.
South East Water said in a statement: 'Demand for water in Kent and Sussex reached record highs in July - a situation which has left South East Water with no choice but to restrict the use of hose pipes and sprinklers from 12 August in both counties.
'July was the driest in Kent since records began in 1836 and saw the lowest rainfall in Sussex since 1911.'
The firm said it had produced an additional 120 million litres of water a day - equivalent to supplying four towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne - but the demand for water has broken all previous records, including the Covid lockdown heatwave periods.
David Hinton, chief executive for South East Water, said: 'This has been a time of extreme weather conditions across England with us experiencing the driest start to the year since 1976. During July in the South East, we have only seen eight per cent of average rainfall for the month.
'As the long-term forecast for August and September is for similar weather we are taking this step to introduce temporary restrictions on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers to make sure we have enough water for our customers' essential use, ensure we can serve our vulnerable customers and to protect the local environment.
'With the lack of rainfall, the environment is also under considerable pressure with our underground water aquifers below average for the time of year across Kent and Sussex and raw water reservoirs also at a lower level for the time of year. By taking this action now we will be able to reduce the amount of water we take from already stressed local water sources.'
The restrictions will mean customers will be prevented from using hosepipes for watering their gardens, washing cars, patios and boats and from filling swimming and paddling pools.
Provisional figures from the Met Office showed that parts of England had their driest July since records began, a trend likely to continue due to global warming.
THEN AND NOW: A file picture of a full Ardingly reservoir in West Sussex (left), owned by South East Water, the supplier for Kent and Sussex which will restrict use of hosepipes and sprinklers. There is also a picture of the reservoir yesterday (right)
THEN AND NOW: Another file image of a full Ardingly reservoir in West Sussex (left), which is also pictured yesterday (right)
THEN AND NOW: A file photograph of a full Ardingly reservoir in West Sussex (left), which is also seen yesterday
