THIRST TRAP
Water firm warns of possible hose pipe ban this summer due to drought risk
Scroll down to find out when the last hosepipe ban was
A MAJOR water firm has warned it may have to slap customers with a hose pipe ban this summer amid a looming risk of drought.
Thames Water bosses have said households may be hit with restrictions in weeks due to warm weather.
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Appearing before MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, chief executive Chris Weston said the company was doing "all we need to" to prepare for potential water shortages.
He said the utility giant has learned the lessons of 2022, when it was reported the firm came "dangerously close" to running out of water amid drought and record heatwaves.
But while he said he was confident the company will not run out of water, he raised the possibility of curbing customers’ water use depending on the weather in the coming weeks.
Thames Water is the UK's biggest water company, serving 16 million customers in the South East of England, a heavily water-stressed area of the country.
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The Environment Agency has warned of the potential risk of drought this summer following the driest start to spring in England for 61 years.
While there are currently no hosepipe bans planned, water companies might have to implement measures including restrictions in the months ahead, the regulator has warned.
Mr Weston said the company was going through a process of making sure assets are available, reservoirs are as full as possible, and that critical maintenance is carried out, "so we are as prepared as best we can be for a drought".
The business was also starting to communicate with its customers about the importance of conserving water, he added.
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"At the moment, from what I can see, we have learned the lessons from the situation in 2022 and we are doing all we need to do at the moment to prepare for water shortages," he told MPs.
"I hope that is not necessary," he added.
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"I am confident we won’t run out of water, I’m not confident we won’t have to restrict usage, because that will depend on what the weather does and what rainfall happens between now and the summer."
Of course, the warning from Thames Water is just that and any potential hosepipe ban might not come into force.
Mr Weston also told MPs that Thames Water's £250million desalination plant, which is intended to provide drinking water supplies from seawater, will not be working this year to meet potential water shortages.
It was also not functioning in 2022 when the utility giant reportedly came close to running out of water.
Mr Weston labelled the facility a "bad investment", and said he wondered why it had been built in the first place.
The last hosepipe ban in the UK came into force in the summer of 2023 following scorching temperatures.
South East Water imposed restrictions on customers in Kent and Sussex in late June.
It meant households were forbidden from using hosepipes to water their gardens, clean cars and fill paddling pools.
The company said it was bringing in the ban after demand for drinking water hit record levels that month.
Customers caught breaking the rules faced a £1,000 fine.
THAMES WATER
THAMES Water serves around 16million customers across London and the Thames Valley and is the UK's largest water and wastewater services company.
It was established in 1989 during the privatisation of the water industry in England and Wales.
In recent years, the firm has come under fire for paying out large dividends to its shareholders despite high levels of pollution and rising bills.
It also has about £19billion of debt, and was recently allowed to take another high-cost loan which could reach £3billion to stave off imminent collapse.
Who is exempt from a hosepipe ban?
Under certain circumstances some people are still able to use a hosepipe despite the ban.
Businesses like car washes and garden centres are able to operate normally.
Households using a hose for health and safety reasons won't be fined.
Blue badge holders are exempt from the rules.
So are gardeners using approved drip or trickle irrigation systems that are fitted with pressure reducing valves.
What can I use instead of a hosepipe?
Households can collect rainwater and store it for future use.
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You can even tend to your garden using buckets and watering cans.
Only sources connected to the main water supply are prohibited.
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