A hosepipe ban has been implemented for 15 million Thames Water customers.
The interim prohibition has been implemented by the water provider owing to “exceptional water conditions” after weeks of high heat and limited rainfall.
The water supplier for Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, portions of Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltshire, and west Kent was suspended on August 17 owing to “exceptional meteorological circumstances.”
People will not be permitted to use a hosepipe that is connected to a home’s main water supply, so preventing them from performing several household tasks that they may have believed were exempt.
The hosepipe ban includes the following:
- Watering the garden, allotment, or plants
- Filling or maintaining paddling pools, swimming pools, or hot tubs
- Cleaning vehicles
- Cleaning windows, walls, paths, patios, and other artificial outdoor surfaces such as artificial grass
- Recreational uses such as water fights and water slides
The restriction applies to hosepipes and everything attached to them, such as sprinklers and jet washers; however, people are permitted to use mains water from a watering can or bucket instead of a hose. However, the water utility advises customers to “count every drop.”
A major portion of the United Kingdom’s landscape has changed from green to brown to yellow as a result of record-breaking heat and minimal precipitation.
In recent weeks, substantial fires were reported in portions of London, Kent, and Essex, while last week’s heat wave led to accidents involving swimmers in lakes, rivers, and the ocean.
The prohibition has been implemented despite significant rainfall and flooding in parts of the United Kingdom.
In a statement released last week, Thames Water said, “We’ve been working around the clock to serve everyone, and customers have been fantastic about conserving water whenever possible.”
“However, given the expectation for minimal precipitation in the coming months, we must now adopt the next stage in our drought plan.”
Southern Water, Southeast Water, Yorkshire Water, Southwest Water, and Welsh Water have adopted or announced prohibitions in addition to Thames Water.
With Yorkshire Water’s ban expected to go into effect on August 26, a total of 24 million people will be subject to water usage restrictions, including five million in Yorkshire, 2.2 million in Kent and Sussex, one million in Cornwall, parts of Devon, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, 200,000 in Pembrokeshire, and 80,000 on the Isle of Man.
Since the implementation of bans in recent weeks, residents have been urged to report neighbors who violate bans.
Nevertheless, the National Police Chiefs’ Council has asked individuals not to report any violations to the police, as it is a civil problem and not a criminal one.
Devon and Cornwall Police have already experienced “extraordinary demand” on phone lines, receiving over one thousand calls every day.
Tuesday, the National Drought Group took additional measures to manage the current drought, including declaring a drought in the West Midlands.
