Thames Water announces hosepipe ban for millions of people

Thames Water has announced a hosepipe ban after England’s warmest June on record.

The ban will begin next Tuesday for the water company’s customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire.

No date has been given for the end of the ban.

People are being asked not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering gardens, filling swimming pools or cleaning windows. 

Only businesses where hosepipe use is part of their purpose, such as car washes or garden centers, are exempt.

Environmental officials have declared a state of ‘prolonged dry weather’ in large swathes of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey.

Thames Water said: ‘That’s why we need to bring in a hosepipe ban. It will help protect the environment and make sure there’s enough water to go around this summer.’

This follows Yorkshire Water introducing a hosepipe ban across Kent and Surrey from Friday.

The UK has been slammed by three heatwaves barely halfway into the summer, leaving reservoir levels well below average, Thames Water says.

To keep cool when the mercury hits above 25°C, customers have been using up to 30% more water.

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