The first hosepipe ban for this year has been declared in the UK.
Yorkshire Water said restrictions will come into force across the region later this week in an effort to protect water supplies.
In a report earlier this year, the Environment Agency (EA) warned England as a whole is facing huge public water shortages unless “urgent action” is taken.
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It said the country faces a 5 billion litre a day shortfall for public water supplies by 2055 due to climate change, population growth, and environmental pressures.
So what areas come under the new hosepipe ban, and how likely is it that it will be implemented elsewhere in the UK?
Restrictions coming in later this week
Yorkshire Water’s hosepipe ban – officially called a Temporary Usage Ban (TUB) – will come into force on Friday 11th July.
Put simply, it will affect any property that receives water from Yorkshire Water.
The company said the ban will not apply to customers who receive wastewater services from Yorkshire Water, but clean water supply from another supplier like Severn Trent.
Restrictions are due to be in place until groundwater stocks are back to where they need to be. Anyone who breaches the ban without permission from the water company could be fined as much as £1,000.
Yorkshire Water director, Dave Kaye, said by putting restrictions in place, the company can apply for drought permits from the EA.
The permits allow the company to start taking more water from rivers and reduce flows out of the region’s reservoirs – which are 26.1% lower than they would normally be at this time of year.
What does the ban mean?
The ban means customers are prohibited from using hosepipes for things like watering a garden, filling a paddling pool, cleaning paths and patios or washing a car.
Instead, they are being encouraged to use a watering can or bucket to do things like water plants. Businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.
Yorkshire Water’s Mr Kaye, said: “People across Yorkshire will need to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.
“Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place.”
In May, Yorkshire and the northwest of England officially entered drought after the driest spring in 132 years.
From February to June, Yorkshire received just 15cm of rain, less than half what is expected in an average year.
Could a ban be introduced elsewhere in the UK?
The North East, East Anglia and the West Midlands are also experiencing prolonged dry weather.
Earlier this year, bosses at the UK’s biggest water company, Thames Water, warned of possible usage restrictions this summer to counter the dry start to the year.
Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston said the company is doing “all we need to” to prepare for potential water shortages.
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This could mean restrictions on Thames Water’s 16 million customers in the southeast of England, an area that is already heavily water-stressed – where the demand for water exceeds the available supply.
The last hosepipe ban, implemented by South East Water in June 2023, affected people in Kent and Sussex.
The country also experienced drought and record heatwaves in 2022 when five water companies imposed a hosepipe ban on a total of 19 million customers to ensure drinking and wastewater services were prioritised.
Easy ways to cut water usage
While the EA is urging water companies to manage demand and reduce water leaks, it has also issued advice to the public on how to limit their water use. Its tips include:
• Shortening showers
• Turning off taps when brushing teeth
• Using full loads for washing machines and dishwashers
• Collecting rainwater for garden use
• Deleting old emails to reduce pressure on data centre servers.
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Water UK, the trade association for the water industry, said customers can start to help leave more water in the environment by making small changes at home and in the garden.
These changes can include:
• Reusing water in paddling pools;
• Use a scum ball in a home hot tub or spa to prevent the development of scum lines or foaming;
• Using a bucket to wash cars, or only washing the windscreen and mirrors on the vehicle;
• Keeping a jug of water in the fridge, so there is no need to run the tap until it turns cold.
