A hosepipe ban has been declared by Thames Water for ten million consumers in the south of England.
Beginning on August 24th, the prohibition will affect residents of the Thames Valley and London.
The temporary prohibition follows claims that the Thames River has reached its lowest level since 2005, as well as “exceptional meteorological conditions.”
People will no longer be allowed to use hoses to water their yards, wash their vehicles and windows, or fill paddling pools.
Those found in violation of the guidelines may be fined up to £1,000
Sarah Bentley, chief executive officer of Thames Water, described the implementation of the ban as a “very difficult decision,” adding that reservoir storage levels in London and Farmoor, Oxfordshire, had “significantly decreased.
The prohibition is the next phase of the water company’s drought plan, following its announcement that it is presently repairing 1,100 leaks per week across its 20,000-mile network.
Ms. Bentley continued, “After months of below-average precipitation and the recent severe temperatures in July and August, our region’s water resources are exhausted.
“Customer demand is at an all-time high, and we must now move on to the next step of our drought plan to preserve water, limit additional risk, and secure future supply.”
As droughts have been declared throughout England, Thames Water is the latest water company to announce a hosepipe ban. Thames Water has five million wastewater users.
The company previously acknowledged that it “must do better” after receiving criticism for having the worst record on leaks among the nine water suppliers in the United Kingdom.
The corporation currently loses around 600 million liters of water each week, primarily owing to aging pipelines.
A council leader stated that Thames Water should cease rewarding its executives with bonuses and instead utilize that money to rectify leaks.
Clive Jones, of Wokingham Borough Council, shared an analysis by his party, the Liberal Democrats, indicating that executives were awarded “eye-popping” £2.4 million in 2021.
Summertime temperatures in the United Kingdom surpassed 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in recorded history.
According to Thames Water, the recent heatwave caused the biggest demand for water in the preceding 25 years.
As temperatures rose, the firm reported that it supplied 2,9 billion liters of water per day to clients throughout the region.
In regions with exceptionally hot weather, the company reported that demand increased by 50 percent compared to the seasonal norm.
Last week, 68 customers in the Oxfordshire village of Northend ran out of water due to a heatwave, prompting Thames Water to send emergency supplies.
Dr. Gina Brown, a radiologist who resides in the town with her elderly parents, told that water shortages are a “recurring” issue during hot weather.
It was eventually determined that the issue was caused by the presence of E.coli in a village-supplying reservoir.
Thames Water expressed regret for the inconvenience and stated that the location had been cleansed.
