‘Where has the water gone?’ Hosepipe ban comes into force for millions

Gardeners are praying for rain, farmers fear for their sheep and others just want to fill their paddling pool – as a hosepipe ban begins for millions.

From Friday, Yorkshire residents have been told to lay down their hoses and turn off their sprinklers in the fight to prevent the Dales from becoming an arid desert.

But with a third scorching heatwave on the horizon it is looking likely the hosepipe ban could affect other areas across the UK.

Yorkshire Water’s restrictions, prohibiting the use of hosepipes to fill swimming pools or wash vehicles, are a welcome last resort for farmers and conservationists.

But for some who face high water bills and the oncoming heatwave this weekend, which could reach 34C in parts, they feel it is just a drop in the ocean.

Defying the ban could end in £1,000 fine paid to the Treasury.

It can be issued if Yorkshire Water is ‘told repeatedly’ about someone breaching the restrictions.

‘Where has the water gone?’ asked Grandfather Clive Key, 55, who says he isn’t afraid to defy the order.

He has vowed to continue using his hosepipe and plans to fill up a paddling pool when his grandchildren visit this weekend.

The former sheet metal worker from Tingley, south of Leeds, said his water bill cost a fixed rate of £300 a year.

He told Metro: ‘I pay for a service and if they can’t supply it – then cut my bills down.’

Clive did not fear being fined for using the excess water, saying he would ‘argue the case’ against any punishment.

Yorkshire running dry after record-breaking spring

Yorkshire’s water hasn’t disappeared – it has just not fallen from the skies.

The county’s reservoirs are only 53.8% full, far lower than the 80.9% average for this time of year.

This follows the warmest spring on record and the driest spring for 132 years.

Farmer Clare Wise has been ‘absolutely devastated’ by the drought on the North Yorkshire-Durham border.

The ‘totally and utterly unprecedented’ lack of rain has meant she is running out of food on her farm and has been forced to sell animals.

Dr Jess Neumann of the University of Reading says this year’s dry spell has left Yorkshire particularly vulnerable.

She told Metro: ‘The north east are heavily reliant on rainfall to provide public water supply because they get the majority of their water from rain-fed sources like rivers and reservoirs.’

The region was declared in drought by the Environment Agency on June 12, just weeks before Yorkshire Water confirmed the hosepipe ban starting today.

Dr Neumann says such restrictions can save between 3% and 5% of daily water, even as high as 8% with high compliance from the public.

Pressure on rivers, wildlife — and gardeners

Desperate for co-operation from the public is Rachel Forsyth, Chief Executive of the Aire Rivers Trust.

She says the Aire River is suffering from particularly low water levels, which endangers not only fish but humans going for an open swim too.

She told Metro: ‘Fish are particularly sensitive to increased temperatures.

‘The less water you have, the quicker it is for that water to heat up. That is a big concern.’

Forsyth explained that low water levels mean when cleaned sewage flows into rivers from treatment plants, the water ‘won’t be so diluted’.

This means ‘an increased risk of high concentrations of E.coli’ for anyone taking a swim in the river.

The conservationist added: ‘A hose pipe ban is an important step to reduce the amount of water that is being used. It helps preserve and share out the water resources we have.

‘But without rain you are not going to get any topping up,’ she stressed.

Businesses are exempt from using a hosepipe as long as it is directly related to a commercial purpose.

People can also wash cars and water gardens using buckets or watering cans.

Despite this, Yorkshire gardeners fear for the plants and flowers which they’ve spent hours tending to.

Jane Hewitt, Chair of Dore Garden Club in Sheffield, mourned the fact that without a hose or rain ‘everything just dies’.

Despite the heartbreak of losing beloved plants, she told Metro: ‘Most people are prepared to abide by the law. Most things will come back next year. It is just part of nature.’

Gardeners who regularly use a hosepipe will be significantly affected by the ban, the chair of York-based Ashkam Bryan College Gardening Club said.

David Whiteman said the risk of plants dying will grow if the weather continues to stay dry, although many gardeners will use watering cans instead.

Fears of hosepipe bans across the country

Yorkshire residents are not the only ones who could be in for water restrictions this summer.

Thames Water, which serves 16 million Brits, warned it will announce a hosepipe ban unless the current water shortage ‘changes significantly’.

South East Water and South Staffordshire Water indicated to Metro that hosepipe bans were on the table for their customers.

Other water companies also expressed concerns at the low water level and high demand during the heatwave.

The entire north west of England had a drought declared in May, covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire.

Geography and Environmental Assistant Professor Dr Neumann said she ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if other places start implementing bans in the weeks to come.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson told Metro: ‘Introducing hosepipe restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place and many customers have been playing their part by using water wisely.

‘However, we need to take action now to help conserve water and supplies for later in the year, and protect Yorkshire’s environment.

‘We understand bill increases are unwelcome at a time when many household bills are increasing and we do have financial support available for those who are struggling.

‘The increased bills will help to fund our £8.3bn investment in our operations over the next five years.

‘This includes upgrading water treatment works, rolling out smart meters to detect leaks, adding new boreholes to increase the raw water available to us and investing £406m to replace 1,000km of water mains to reduce burst and leaks, all of which will benefit customers.

‘During warm weather, the soil moisture deficit causes increased ground movement which can lead to pipes cracking and leaking.

‘Our teams are out and about in the region, 24/7, finding and fixing leaks and we prioritise the most serious leaks. We have added an extra 100 colleagues into our leakage team since April to ensure we tackle as many leaks as possible.

‘Over the last five years we have delivered a 15%, industry-leading, reduction in leakage and are aiming for a further 12% in the next five years. We’d like to thank customers for reporting leaks to us, as this means we can attend quickly and complete any repairs.’

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