Thames Water warns of hosepipe ban as it struggles with supply
The troubled company said water supplies across Oxfordshire and the rest of its area are being impacted because of hot weather.
It said in Oxfordshire residents daily demand for water is similar to that of the 2022 drought.
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Thames Water's spokeswoman said: 'The ongoing dry weather and increased customer demand is impacting our water supplies across the Thames Valley and unless the situation changes significantly, we will need to put usage restrictions, including a hosepipe ban, in place to ensure taps keep running for customers' essential use.
A file image of a Thames Water van (Image: Newsquest) 'The UK has had one of the warmest and driest springs in over a century and the continued hot weather now means that the Environment Agency has placed the Thames area into the prolonged dry weather category, meaning there is heightened concern and risk of drought.
'Every drop of water we use comes from the environment and we're asking our customers to help us by reducing their water use wherever possible.
"On Monday June 30, in the Swindon and the Oxfordshire areas our customer's daily demand for water reached that last seen during the 2022 drought.
'It is important to stay hydrated but there are many ways customers can save water during the summer.
People enjoying the warm weather (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire) "Some of our top tips include taking shorter showers, turning the tap off while brushing teeth and letting your lawn go dry.
"This can help reduce big increases in demand and also help the environment which is currently water stressed.
'We continue to monitor our water resources carefully and the extended warm weather also brings increased risks of leaks and bursts due to pipe stress and shifting foundations in the ground.
"We are working to ensure that our leakage engineers are placed where leaks are most likely to occur and our teams are working day and night to find and these fix leaks using innovative technology.'
Last month, the Environment Agency said England faces public water shortages of five billion litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to cut leaks, curb use and build new reservoirs.
The Environment Agency (EA) also warned that the wider economy faces a further deficit of one billion litres a day, with growing demand from the energy sector, food production and businesses such as water-intensive data centres.
The highly populated south east region of England faces the biggest shortfall, with an estimated extra two billion litres of water a day needed between 2030 and 2055.
Some 60 per cent of the shortfall needs to come from water companies managing demand for water from households and businesses, and halving the amount of water lost to leaks, the EA warned.
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Thames Water warns of hosepipe ban as it struggles with supply
Thames Water has warned of a hosepipe ban being imposed as it struggles to keep up with customer demand. The troubled company said water supplies across Oxfordshire and the rest of its area are being impacted because of hot weather. It said in Oxfordshire residents daily demand for water is similar to that of the 2022 drought. READ MORE: Thames Water's spokeswoman said: 'The ongoing dry weather and increased customer demand is impacting our water supplies across the Thames Valley and unless the situation changes significantly, we will need to put usage restrictions, including a hosepipe ban, in place to ensure taps keep running for customers' essential use. A file image of a Thames Water van (Image: Newsquest) 'The UK has had one of the warmest and driest springs in over a century and the continued hot weather now means that the Environment Agency has placed the Thames area into the prolonged dry weather category, meaning there is heightened concern and risk of drought. 'Every drop of water we use comes from the environment and we're asking our customers to help us by reducing their water use wherever possible. "On Monday June 30, in the Swindon and the Oxfordshire areas our customer's daily demand for water reached that last seen during the 2022 drought. 'It is important to stay hydrated but there are many ways customers can save water during the summer. People enjoying the warm weather (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire) "Some of our top tips include taking shorter showers, turning the tap off while brushing teeth and letting your lawn go dry. "This can help reduce big increases in demand and also help the environment which is currently water stressed. 'We continue to monitor our water resources carefully and the extended warm weather also brings increased risks of leaks and bursts due to pipe stress and shifting foundations in the ground. "We are working to ensure that our leakage engineers are placed where leaks are most likely to occur and our teams are working day and night to find and these fix leaks using innovative technology.' Last month, the Environment Agency said England faces public water shortages of five billion litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to cut leaks, curb use and build new reservoirs. The Environment Agency (EA) also warned that the wider economy faces a further deficit of one billion litres a day, with growing demand from the energy sector, food production and businesses such as water-intensive data centres. The highly populated south east region of England faces the biggest shortfall, with an estimated extra two billion litres of water a day needed between 2030 and 2055. Some 60 per cent of the shortfall needs to come from water companies managing demand for water from households and businesses, and halving the amount of water lost to leaks, the EA warned.
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