It follows months of prolonged dry weather, warm temperatures and three heatwaves
A hosepipe rests on the parched earth of a private garden. File image
A hosepipe ban has been rolled out across Essex with water demand at “exceptionally high” levels. Many rivers in the region are at notably low levels while reservoirs are at lower levels than expected for the time of year.
Anglian Water has announced the ban following the second driest spring on record in the East of England. This has been combined with record-breaking temperatures and high demand for water.
The temporary restriction will be implemented immediately and in force from 1am on Saturday (July 11). Anglian Water has asked customers not to use hosepipes for watering their gardens, washing cars, patios and boats or filling swimming and paddling pools.
This decision to introduce the ban follows months of prolonged dry weather, warm temperatures and three successive heat waves. It has the company producing 30 per cent more water than usual, as well as heat-related challenges affecting normal water treatment and production.
Dr Geoff Darch, Head of Strategic Asset Planning for Anglian Water said: “Every day of sustained hot weather increases the challenge of balancing supply and demand, and we are now at the point where we need to ask customers to help by hanging up the hosepipe, letting lawns go brown, cars go dirty and using water even more wisely to help protect the environment and ensure water remains available for all customers.”
They added: “Implementing a Temporary Use Ban for our customers has been a very difficult decision to make and one which we have not taken lightly but protecting supplies to our customers and protecting our region’s precious environment in the face of such unusually hot conditions and high demand means doing everything we can to limit our non-essential water use as much as possible. We are grateful for everyone’s support.”
Under the terms of the ban, there will be a small number of exceptions to protect jobs, livelihoods and those who are most vulnerable. Customers can still water their gardens and grow their own fruit and vegetables if they use a watering can instead of a hose or sprinkler.
The ban applies to Anglian Water’s East of England region. It stretches from Grimsby in the north to Southend-on-Sea in the south. It also stretches into surrounding counties such as Cambridgeshire.