Thames Water tells customers to ‘fix leaky loos' amid hosepipe ban fears

Telegraph

2 days ago

Thames Water has told customers to 'fix leaky loos' amid fears of a hosepipe ban caused by the unusually dry spring weather.
The water company has written to households urging them to 'be mindful' about water usage, but stopped short of implementing a hosepipe ban despite Britain facing its driest spring in 69 years. Thames Water, which provides water to 16 million people across London and the south of England, told customers to 'avoid wasting water and fix leaky loos and dripping taps as soon as you can'.
It said doing so would allow the company to keep reservoirs full and make sure there would be enough water to withstand dry periods. It comes as five regions across the north of England were moved to drought status by the Environment Agency (EA) because reservoirs and rivers are at such low levels. On Thursday, the EA moved Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria, and Lancashire from 'prolonged dry weather' to drought status, with reservoirs and rivers at low levels.
'A hosepipe ban is certainly possible'
The decision indicated a looming hosepipe ban, according to Dr Jess Neumann, associate professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, who said: 'Putting the North West into a drought status tells the water company they need to start putting into place their drought action plan.
'That will include telling people to use their water in a more conservative way, to be mindful. A hosepipe ban is certainly possible, that is the way it is looking.'
She added that without 'steady, constant rainfall for a good couple of months', a hosepipe ban was 'on the horizon'.
Thames Water has no plans for a hosepipe ban at this stage, The Telegraph understands.
A spokesman for the firm said: 'April 2025 saw significantly less rain than the year before, and we do encourage customers to use water wisely through the spring and summer months.
'Our water resources are in a healthy place ahead of this summer, as rainfall was above average through the winter months. Of note, our reservoir levels are at 95 per cent. Groundwater levels also remain above average for this time of year for most of the areas in which we operate.
'We all have a role to play when it comes to saving water. It is a precious resource, and we need to value it, which is why we are asking everyone to play their part in reducing use.'
The last hosepipe ban was introduced by South East Water in June 2023 and affected people in Kent and Sussex. In 2022, a drought and a series of record heatwaves led five water companies to impose a ban on a total of 19 million customers to ensure drinking and wastewater services were prioritised.
Chris Weston, Thames Water's chief executive, said the company had learnt the lessons from that summer, when it was reported that it came 'dangerously close' to running out of water.