Thames Water issues new update on hosepipe ban after demand

Over the weekend, the company said it had seen a “significant” increase in demand amid high temperatures.

This has been due to the record-breaking heat and tropical nights, leading to more water use by customers.

It said daily household water use went up by an average of 30 per cent.

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Andrew Tucker, water demand reduction manager at Thames Water, said: “We saw a significant rise in demand across our region recently, particularly for outdoor water-use.

“Demand increased so sharply in some areas that people were using water faster than we could produce and move it through our network,” he said.

“We’d like to thank customers who played their part by reducing usage during this extreme weather, helping to keep supplies flowing while staying hydrated and safe.”

In a previous statement, the company said that “hot weather is coming, and every drop counts”.

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As of today (Tuesday, July 14), there is no hosepipe ban in place for Oxfordshire or any Thames Water-led area.

The water company has, however, encouraged customers in the areas to use water wisely this week, particularly around outdoor use.

In addition to this, river levels, reservoir levels and groundwater levels are all continually being monitored.

Thames Water users can expect to be updated regularly should anything change with regard to bans as the summer progresses.

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Elsewhere in the UK, hosepipe bans have come into effect due to the rising temperatures this July.

Anglian Water issued a ban from 1am on Saturday, meaning people in parts of Norfolk and Suffolk were banned from using hosepipes to water gardens, clean vehicles, or fill paddling pools under restrictions imposed by the company.

The ban is the first of its kind in the region since 2012 due to the region’s current third heatwave of the summer.