
Water firm tells customers to let lawns go brown in hosepipe ban warning
Southern Water, which supplies water to about 2.6 million customers, has issued tips on how to save water to Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents amid a prolonged dry spell, after the UK experienced its driest spring on record.
The company's director for water, Tim McMahon, said its supplies were coming under increasing pressure and water supplies in the Test and Itchen rivers were falling.
He said: 'To protect these precious chalk streams and their delicate ecosystems, we are restricted on how much water we take from them. That's why it is vital we reduce demand across the country so we can keep taps flowing, and this may involve introducing some restrictions on use if necessary.
'But small changes can also make a big difference, such as taking shorter showers or turning off the tap when you brush your teeth. We have written to our customers to ask for their help, and to offer more tips and information. We will continue to provide updates on our water resources as we move through the summer.
He said the firm's leakage teams were continuing to find and fix leaks after a record year which saw leakage fall from 108.1 to 91.1 million litres per day, with nearly 21,000 leaks fixed in the past 12 months.
Water saving tips from the company included swapping out a hosepipe for a watering can, reusing water from paddling pools if you use them in the hot weather, letting your lawn go brown, and cutting your shower time down to four minutes.
While the organisation has yet to issue a hosepipe ban, Southern Water has previously declared that the south east of England is 'water stressed', which means the demand for water is increasing while the impacts of climate change mean there's less to go around.
The company predicted that by 2030, it'll need to find an extra 50 million litres of water a day to meet the growing demand.
Its latest warning comes as heat health alerts have been issued across England as temperatures are set to soar as high as 32C this week.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued seven yellow heat health alerts, which come into force at 12pm on Wednesday and will last until 6pm on Sunday.
The alert covers Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East England, South East, South West and London.
The health body's alert suggests that health and social care services may be significantly impacted by high temperatures, with a rise in deaths possible among those aged 65 and above and people with health conditions. Younger age groups may also be impacted, as the service predicted a 'likely increase in demand for health services '.
Internal temperatures in care settings may increase, exceeding the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment, and the heat may impact workforces.
Earlier this year, the UK marked the sunniest spring on record. As the Met Office clocked 653.3 hours of sunshine - 43 per cent above average - it became the fourth sunniest season overall for the country, with only three summers sunnier since 1910.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Nordic countries hit by ‘truly unprecedented' heatwave
Cold Nordic countries are being seared by 'truly unprecedented' heat, as hot weather strengthened and lengthened by carbon pollution continues to roast northern Europe. A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30C (86F) on 13 days in July, while Finland has had three straight weeks with 30C heat. Scientists say it is the longest streak in records going back to 1961, and 50% longer than the previous record. 'Truly unprecedented heatwave still in full swing with maximum today about 32-33C,' said Mika Rantanen, a climate scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in a social media post on Thursday. 'Even the Arctic regions … have seen three weeks above 25C, and may rival tomorrow their August heat records.' The Norwegian Meteorological Institute said temperatures above 30C were recorded on 12 days in July by at least one station in its three northernmost counties. Although the country had a brief respite last week as hot weather moved north and east, the institute said it expected temperatures of 30C might be reached again over the weekend. 'We have some hot days ahead of us in northern Norway,' it said. In Sweden, meteorologists said long-term heatwaves were noted at several stations in the north of the country, with a weather station in Haparanda measuring 25C or more for 14 days in a row. In Jokkmokk, Lappland, the heatwave lasted for 15 days. 'To find a longer period at these stations, you have to go back more than a century,' said Sverker Hellström, a scientist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Blistering heat swept northern Europe in mid-July, driven by hot waters off the Norwegian northern coast and a stubborn area of high pressure that brought temperatures in the Nordics 8-10C above seasonal norms. The region has also since been hit by storms and lightning strikes that have sparked wildfires. The hot weather has taken people by surprise in a part of the continent better adapted to the cold. Researchers have found that countries such as the UK, Norway and Switzerland will face the greatest relative rise in uncomfortably hot days as the planet heats up, and have warned that their infrastructure is not well-suited to cope. On Wednesday, an ice rink in northern Finland opened its doors to people seeking refuge from the heat after they overfilled the local hospital's emergency room, according to Finnish media. On Thursday, herders warned that their reindeer were on the verge of dying in the heat. Swedish radio reported that foreign tourists heading north to Scandinavia for 'coolcations' had instead encountered dangerous heat warnings. 'As climate change progresses, exceptionally severe heatwaves will intensify,' said Heikki Tuomenvirta, a scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. 'They are occurring more frequently, are more severe and last longer.'


BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Wiltshire in Pictures: Sir Keir in Swindon and footy celebrations
If variety is the spice of life then this week has been a good one with; footballing celebrations, a VIP visit and a successful cow after welcoming back England's victorious Lionesses the Prime Minister dropped into Swindon to announce plans to support small businesses.A cow rescue operation happened in Malmesbury whilst other parts of the town showed off their scarecrows and we have had lots of fantastic weather watcher snaps from across the county. Still smiling: Ian Holloway managed some of his usual chuckles as he faced the media ahead of the start of the new season for Swindon Town. Mixed bag: We have had rain and thunderstorms this week but also glorious patches of sunshine, which helped these stunning sunflowers in Upavon look great. Picture taken by Weather Watcher TAG. Celebration time: The Lionesses prompted wild celebrations at the Steam Railway Co. pub in Swindon as they beat Spain to win Euro 2025 on penalties last Sunday. Eye do: These hay bales, designed to look like newlyweds, were photographed by weather watcher Barnaby Bear. A mooving story: Firefighters from Malmesbury, a technical rescue team from Stratton and a local vet rescued a young cow that had become stuck in a stone culvert. Best of British: Malmesbury's scarecrow competition started on Friday, with this year's theme being 'Best of British'. Derek Tilney, 92, created this fine member of the King's Guard alongside his children Judie and Richard. The scarecrows are part of Malmesbury carnival and will be on display for the month of August


The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
UK sizzled in fifth warmest July on record
Last month was the UK's fifth warmest July on record, as long periods of hot weather saw parts of the country experience two heatwaves in quick succession. The mean average temperature across the month was 16.8C, according to provisional figures from the Met Office. This is slightly below the warmest July on record in 2006, when the average reached 17.8C, and is also behind 2018 (17.2C), 1983 (17.1C) and 2013 (17.0C). July was the sixth consecutive month of above-average mean temperatures for the UK and followed the warmest June on record for England and second warmest June for the country as a whole. The first day of July brought the hottest temperature of the year so far, with 35.8C measured in Faversham in Kent, and two separate heatwaves affected much of the UK in the first half of the month. The long spells of dry weather this year have already led to four areas being declared officially in drought: the East Midlands, north-west England, the West Midlands and Yorkshire. All four UK nations recorded one of their top 10 warmest Julys: Scotland and Northern Ireland saw their sixth warmest, England its seventh and Wales its tenth. Met Office temperature records begin in 1884.