A hosepipe ban covering the entire Thames Water supply area comes into force today as prolonged dry weather places growing pressure on water supplies across southern and eastern England.
Seven water companies have now introduced or announced temporary restrictions affecting around 23 million customers. Eight areas of England were classed as being in prolonged dry weather on 20 July, the stage immediately before drought.
The Thames Water ban began at 00:01 today and covers Greater London, the Thames Valley and parts of Surrey, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Kent. It will remain in place until further notice.
Restrictions are also operating or planned across several other parts of southern and eastern England. They prevent customers from using hosepipes for activities including watering gardens, washing cars and filling paddling pools.
Water companies say the bans are needed to reduce peak demand, protect supplies and limit pressure on rivers and groundwater. Temporary restrictions can also help avoid more severe measures if dry conditions continue.
The pressure follows an exceptionally warm and dry spring, with Met Office figures showing southern England received just 50% of its average spring rainfall. Northern England recorded around 90%.
June delivered above-average rain across parts of southern England but it was not enough to remove the wider risk. Significant rainfall is expected to remain limited across much of the country in the immediate future.
Scientists warn climate change will increase water pressure even in years when annual rainfall totals appear relatively normal. Higher temperatures increase evaporation from soils, rivers and reservoirs, leaving less water available for households, businesses and the environment.
Hydrological studies suggest severe UK droughts could become more frequent and damaging as temperatures rise. Warmer conditions can dry soils before rainfall shortages begin, reducing river flows and slowing the recharge of aquifers that supply much of southern England.
Groundwater droughts can develop slowly below the surface and continue long after rain returns. Dry winters are therefore a major threat because winter rainfall is needed to refill reservoirs and underground stores before demand rises in summer.
The risks are greatest in southern and eastern England, where rainfall is generally lower, population density is higher and demand from housing, farming, energy generation and data centres is expected to increase.
England could require an additional five billion litres of public water supply every day by the 2050s because of climate change, population growth and economic development. That is equivalent to more than a third of the water currently supplied.
Ofwat has approved a programme of 30 major water infrastructure projects, including nine new reservoirs planned over the coming decades. The reservoirs are expected to create enough capacity to meet the daily needs of around 2.5 million households.
New water transfer schemes, recycling projects, desalination, metering and leakage reductions will also be needed to close the gap. Around 19% of water is currently lost before reaching customers, according to Environment Agency figures.
Hosepipe bans can curb short-term demand but they cannot replace long-term investment in new supplies and more resilient networks. Without faster action, restrictions risk becoming an increasingly regular feature of summers across southern Britain.
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