The East of England is facing its most severe drought in decades, with millions forced to abide by hosepipe bans as soaring temperatures and dwindling rainfall put pressure on already strained water resources. Cambridge Water and Anglian Water have both imposed restrictions, affecting a broad swathe of counties from Bedfordshire to Suffolk.
Anglian Water, which serves approximately seven million customers across parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, and Suffolk, saw its restrictions become legally enforceable from Saturday morning. The company highlighted that customer demand has risen by 30%, putting significant strain on both environmental resources and water supplies. Dr Geoff Darch, Anglian Water's head of strategic asset planning, noted that while customers understandably want to stay cool, the sustained conditions are challenging the system.
Cambridge Water, supplying around 350,000 customers in Cambridgeshire and parts of Hertfordshire, announced its ban on Thursday, with enforcement commencing on 17 July. Elena Karpathakis, managing director for Cambridge Water, stated that this is the first time the company has imposed such a ban in over three decades, since the UK drought of 1995. Natalie Ackroyd, the company's director of water quality and environment, expressed a commitment to lifting the ban as soon as demand stabilises and water resources improve.
The bans prohibit a range of activities using hosepipes, sprinklers, or similar devices, including watering gardens (unless for newly laid turf within 28 days), cleaning private vehicles, filling or maintaining domestic swimming pools or ponds, and cleaning walls or patios. However, individuals can still perform these tasks using mains water from a bucket or watering can, or by using non-mains water sources. Exemptions apply for registered disabled individuals, blue badge holders, businesses where hosepipe use is integral to their operation (e.g., garden centres), and for animal welfare or medical purposes.
The primary aim of these measures, according to Cambridge Water, is to safeguard local water resources and protect the region's internationally significant chalk streams, which are particularly vulnerable to low water levels. Non-domestic customers, while not directly subject to the ban, are also urged to use water responsibly during this period of high demand and environmental stress.