Thames Water explains why the hosepipe ban was needed

Thames Water has enforced a Temporary Use Ban (TUB) across Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire. Effecting over a million people. The restriction on household hoses was decided last week and Thames Water are saying that 10% of customer houses are constantly running.

This measure follows the driest spring in over a century and England’s warmest June on record, leading the Environment Agency to declare the Thames Area under Prolonged Dry Weather status.

The ban has sparked anger from the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union, with them calling them to do more and the ban 'disgraceful'.

Andrew Tucker is Thames Water's Demand Reduction Strategy Manager, focusing on water savings through metering, efficiency, and customer engagement. He says that Thames Water work closely with government environmental agencies to monitor weather and water levels.

"The outside usage of water can add about 30% to the demand for water on days over 25°C."

Tucker went onto say: " Our leakages are the lowest they've been so far." and " we have to take these measures to protect the local environment". However the GMB state this is just is not good enough and more long term investment needs to be made into the current water system.

Gary Carter from the GMB trade union said:

"There's a 20% leakage through the sector going to waste"

"Its awful, it's a massive amount."

While it’s true that hot weather leads to higher demand, the GMB state, Thames Water has consistently struggled with leaking pipes and outdated systems that waste millions of litres of water daily.

Residents are advised to stay informed about any updates to the ban and to adhere to the restrictions to help manage the region's water resources effectively

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