- Hosepipe Ban: Impact on Two Million Households
- Telecommuters Blamed for Increased Water Demand
- Water Company’s Response and Customer Reactions
A water company executive blamed telecommuters for a new hosepipe prohibition.
On Monday, South East Water will implement the first hosepipe ban of the summer, affecting over two million households and businesses in Kent and Sussex.
David Hinton, the company’s chief executive, explained in a letter to consumers that working from home following the pandemic was a “key factor” in the decision, as it has “increased drinking water demand.”
He wrote: “Over the past three years, the use of potable water throughout the southeast has changed significantly.
Telecommuting has boosted commuter town drinking water consumption by 20% in a short time, stressing our infrastructure.
Mr. Hinton also attributed a lack of precipitation since April to the emptiness of the water butts, as well as a recent spell of hot weather for the increase in demand for drinking water.
“Our reservoir and aquifer raw water supplies, which are vital to our water supply but not yet usable, are fine. However, the demand for treated mains water, which requires time to process and deliver, exceeded our capacity,” he explained.
“Each day for the past week, we’ve had to find enough water to supply an additional four towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne.”
Greg Clark, Conservative Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells, told The Times, “Their sole responsibility is to deliver potable water.”
“However, in my district, they have run out of water twice in the past six months. Once just before Christmas, when there was a chilly snap, and now following a minor and unremarkable heat wave.
“Their description of individuals working from home is by no means unique to this region.
“There has been a trend towards individuals working from home for some time. A water provider should be able to anticipate and prepare for this.”
A spokesperson for the water regulator Ofwat told The Times that South East Water must improve its ability to predict and manage operational issues, assist customers, and inform them of what is happening and why.
“Customers will ask why their water provider is caught off guard by weather for the second time in six months.”
Steve Andrews, South East Water’s Head of Service Management, defended the prohibition. He stated that it was “introduced to ensure that we can consistently deliver drinking water to all of our customers.”
He added, “We want to thank our customers for their water conservation efforts and remind them to continue conserving water over the weekend.”
