Hosepipe bans came into force in parts of England on Friday (August 5) ahead of another heatwave predicted this week.

Water companies in the North East have sought to stem anxiety over hosepipe bans as parched parts of Southern England are restrictions following months of little rainfall and record-breaking temperatures which have left rivers and reservoirs running low.

Southern Water announced the move for customers in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, while the measure will follow this week for South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex.

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The Met Office has warned there is “very little meaningful rain” on the horizon for parched areas of England as temperatures are set to climb into the 30s next week.

In a bid to stem anxiety among customers in the North East, water companies here have revealed there are not likely to be any hosepipe bans on the cards, but have not totally ruled out the move.

Northumbrian Water said it is “not anticipating” the need to introduce a hosepipe ban this summer.

A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water told The Northern Echo: “Over the past seven months we have seen below-average rainfall.

“We are continuing to experience periods of high demand for water and this means that our reservoir levels are lower than they would normally be at this point in the year.

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“We are not anticipating the need for any restrictions this summer and as an environmentally-responsible company, we are monitoring and carefully managing the resources we take from the environment.

“To help with this we are encouraging our customers to use water wisely and minimise usage where they can.

“Our teams are working hard to make sure that our reservoirs can recover over the autumn period and this will help us to ensure that we can keep the water flowing for customers throughout winter and into next year.”

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Parts of the North East have seen below average rainfall with record high temperatures recorded last month and wildfires breaking out because of the intense heat.

Yorkshire Water also confirmed it had no immediate plans to restrict water usage but encouraged customers to reduce how much H20 they used in the coming weeks.

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In a statement the company said: ““Yorkshire has experienced a particularly dry spring and summer and the reservoirs and rivers in our region are seeing the impact. Reservoir levels are currently around 51% - they declined by 2% over the last week despite the rainfall we had across Yorkshire.

“We’re always asking our customers to reduce their usage where they can and allow their lawns to go brown, not wash the car for a few weeks and turn the taps off when they’re brushing their teeth to stop waste and reduce the likelihood of restrictions later in the summer.

“We’re working around the clock to move water around our network of pipes to keep taps flowing and we’re doing our bit to save water where we can too. Our team of leakage inspectors are out and about across Yorkshire, working hard to save water from leaky pipes, and are prioritising larger leaks.”

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