Millions in North West England set for hosepipe ban – Welsh Water says use water wisely and we’ll be ok.

Welsh Water says it is still encouraging its three million customers to continue to use water wisely despite the rain over the last few days.

“After such prolonged dry weather, it will be difficult for any rain to penetrate the ground and help restore reservoir levels,” the water company has said.

Welsh Water – which provides drinking water to Deeside – is safeguarding water supplies following the hottest June in Wales since records began in 1910.

It says it has been proactively taking measures for the last two months to prepare for the hot weather, repairing leaks and its 62 water treatment works being manned 24 hours a day to help supply a 1 billion litres a day.

The company confirmed that a few of its 87 reservoirs are now lower than usual at this time of year but said this is to be expected given the prolonged dry weather.

It will take some time for these reservoirs to recover to their normal levels, despite the recent rain.

Millions of the water firms domestic customers in Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cheshire will be affected by the hosepipe ban which is set to come into force next month.

United Utilities say the hosepipe ban, known as a Temporary Use Ban, will come into force on Sunday, August 5.

Managing Director of Water Services at Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water Ian Christie, said:

“Over the last few months, we have taken and will continue to take all the necessary actions to ensure there is enough water in our network during this very dry period.

We’ve done a lot of groundwork in the background to prepare for this weather and still doing everything we can to safeguard supplies. This includes finding and fixing leaks and putting more water in the network every day than ever before.

“It’s really important that our customers continue to work with us during this period. If they spot a leak, please let us know. We’re also asking them to think about how much water they are using. We want everyone to stay safe and drink water while it’s hot but we’re reminding everyone of the need to use water wisely and efficiently.

“Customers may notice that some reservoir levels are lower than usual but this isn’t a surprise given this continuing dry weather.

We are all using more water and we’re putting 20% more water into the system. This is helping us meet higher demand in particular communities. We are also using our own fleet of over 30 tankers to help.

“Even if the weather starts to turn and it rains, it’s important that customers continue to work with us and use any water efficiently. Customers can get advice on our top ten tips of how to use water efficiently around the home and garden from our website”