More than 11 million people in southern and eastern England are currently under a hosepipe ban, with an additional 21 million encouraged to conserve water as the country grapples with a prolonged heatwave and strained water supplies. The restrictions, imposed by five water companies, prohibit the use of hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, and filling paddling pools, with fines of up to £1,000 for non-compliance.
The measures have sparked public anger, with many residents expressing defiance and vowing to continue using their hosepipes. Critics point to the water companies' practice of awarding millions of pounds in bonuses to executives while infrastructure reportedly leaks billions of liters of water daily. Furthermore, concerns over sewage pollution and a record low in the Environment Agency's water company ratings have fueled public frustration.
Companies enforcing bans include Anglian Water, Affinity Water, Cambridge Water, South East Water, and Southern Water. Affinity Water's ban for its central region, covering parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and London, is set to begin on Friday. Anglian Water's ban for its five million customers in eastern England is already active. Cambridge Water, for the first time in three decades, will implement a ban for its 350,000 customers on Friday. South East Water's ban for 850,000 customers in Kent began earlier in July, and Southern Water's ban for one million people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight started last Friday.
Thames Water and Yorkshire Water are urging customers to reduce hosepipe use but have not yet imposed formal bans. Other companies, including Severn Trent, Essex and Suffolk Water, Wessex Water, and Portsmouth Water, are also advising customers to use water wisely.
Drought concerns are particularly high in East Anglia, Devon, Cornwall, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, following a dry spring and summer. The ongoing heatwave, with London experiencing no rain since June 27, has led to an 'extreme' risk of wildfires. Fire services across the country have responded to numerous blazes in recent days, including significant incidents in London, Derbyshire, and North Wales. The Met Office forecasts that temperatures will remain high throughout the week, with some parts of western England potentially reaching 35C.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber and yellow heat health alerts for various regions across England, urging caution. In response to the extreme heat and water scarcity, experts estimate that over 2,700 excess deaths occurred in England and Wales during the record hot spells in May and June. Water minister Emma Hardy has met with water company bosses to discuss preparedness for the summer months.
Some residents are exploring ways to circumvent the restrictions, such as using water from washing machines or filling paddling pools with buckets, while others question the fairness of the bans given the broader environmental concerns raised about water management by the companies.