Water company duo refute hosepipe ban speculation

Two water companies have declared there will be no bans on hosepipe use in their regions this summer following press speculation that restrictions will be introduced.

Anglian Water and South West Water have each issued releases claiming their reserves are close to full and there will be no call on their customers to cease hosing their gardens.   

South West said its drought recovery measures “mean no hosepipe bans in either Devon or Cornwall this year” while Anglian reported its “30-year investment in drought resilience” will ensure that hose pipe bans “won’t be necessary this summer for the East of England…even if the heatwave predictions for this summer prove to be true.”

Both companies have said their strategic reservoirs were more than 90% full with major contributions coming from recent, prolonged heavy rainfall.

Anglian said that following the “wettest 18 months on record” its groundwater and reservoir levels are in “tip-top position” with its reservoirs over 90% full, on average. Meanwhile the company said its expansion of a strategic pipeline network was “well underway” alongside preparations for two new reservoirs in the region. The pipeline will carry water from the wettest areas in the north of Lincolnshire to the driest areas in the south and east of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. The planned reservoirs comprise one for South Lincolnshire and another in the Fens.

South West said it was investing to increase resources in Devon by 30% and in Cornwall by 45%. It has reported that all of its plans for Devon were complete and in use, with 70% completed in Cornwall.