Hosepipe ban from August 24

17/08/2022

Using a hosepipe for car cleaning, watering gardens, filling paddling pools and cleaning windows will not be allowed

As expected, Thames Water has announced a hosepipe ban across its area.   The restriction will come into force in a week’s time on Wednesday August 24.

A drought was declared for our area last Friday (August 12).

The news comes the morning after parts of Banbury suffered localised flooding due to heavy rainstorms.

Thames Water says the recent heatwave and extreme temperatures resulted in the highest demand for over 25 years with the company supplying 2.9 billion litres of water a day to customers across the region.  In some areas during the particularly hot weather, demand for water rose by 50% compared to the norm for the time of year.

It had been the driest July in 135 years.

The Temporary Use Ban will come into effect at a minute past midnight on August 24.   From then domestic customers are not allowed to use hosepipes for cleaning cars, watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling pools and swimming pools and cleaning windows.

It is estimated the Temporary Use Ban will help save up to 10% of water used.

The Temporary Use Ban does not cover businesses, but Thames Water is asking them to be mindful of the drought and to use water wisely.   They suggest companies do not wash commercial vehicles and turn off water features on their properties. 

The water company says it is fixing over 1,100 leaks on its 20,000-mile network every week and has met its leakage reduction targets for the past three years

Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO said: “Implementing a Temporary Use Ban for our customers has been a very difficult decision to make and one which we have not taken lightly. After months of below average rainfall and the recent extreme temperatures in July and August, water resources in our region are depleted.  Despite investing in the largest leakage reduction programme in the UK, customer demand is at unprecedented levels and we now have to move into the next phase of our drought plan to conserve water, mitigate further risk and futureproof supplies.

“I’d like to thank all of our customers for the efforts they have already made to conserve water as a result of the media campaign we have been running since May. Reducing demand means reducing the amount of water we have to take from the environment at a time when it is under pressure. I would also like to apologise to our customers who have been affected by recent incidents, our dedicated colleagues are working around the clock to manage this challenging situation.”


Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam

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