Welsh Water rules out hosepipe bans despite record-breaking summer heat
Welsh Water rules out hosepipe bans despite record-breaking summer heat
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Welsh Water has confirmed that no restrictions on household water use will be introduced this year, despite the UK experiencing its hottest summer on record.
The utility, which supplies more than three million people across Wales and parts of England, said the Mid and South Ceredigion water zone – the only area to reach ‘Developing Drought’ status earlier this year – had now returned to normal conditions.
The company credited customers’ responsible water use and its own accelerated leakage repair programme for helping to avoid hosepipe bans, which remain in force for millions of households in England.
Marc Davies, Welsh Water’s Director of Water Services, said: “The dry weather this year has put huge strain on our water network and supply systems. Despite this, we’ve maintained supplies without introducing restrictions thanks to our customers’ efforts to use water wisely, and the proactive work of our teams, who have been repairing around 700 leaks each week throughout the summer.
“Every drop really does count, and we’re hugely grateful to customers who have taken simple steps to reduce their use. Small actions have made a big difference collectively.
“With hotter, drier summers becoming the norm, we ask everyone to keep using water wisely so our reservoirs can recover fully over the winter and be ready for next year.”
Since January, Welsh Water has carried out more than 16,000 leak repairs across its operating area, including 817 in Ceredigion between April and August.
On a typical day, the company treats and distributes around 850 million litres of clean water – equivalent to filling 320 Olympic-sized swimming pools. During this summer’s heatwave, when temperatures exceeded 30°C, demand surged past 1 billion litres a day, with rural and tourism-heavy regions experiencing the sharpest increases.
To meet the spike, Welsh Water deployed a fleet of tankers to move water around its network and keep underground reservoirs topped up in high-demand areas.
Natural Resources Wales has warned that most of Wales remains in environmental drought, despite recent rainfall. The regulator said sustained recovery had not yet been achieved following one of the driest six-month periods since 1976.
Welsh Water is urging households to continue saving water through simple measures such as taking showers instead of baths, only running dishwashers and washing machines when full, using watering cans instead of hosepipes, and fixing leaks quickly.
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