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22
Jul
Yorkshire hosepipe ban remains in place despite much-needed rainfall
A hosepipe ban remains in place in Yorkshire despite much needed rainfall, Yorkshire Water has said.
Restrictions were imposed across the region on July 11 following a protracted dry spell which saw reservoir capacity fall.
Yorkshire Water said the county experienced the driest and warmest spring on record with only 15mm of rainfall across the region between February and June, less than half of what would be expected at this time of year.
The region has since seen much needed rainfall this past weekend providing relief for dry ground, gardens and the region’s rivers.
However, Yorkshire Water said reservoir stocks have declined since late January and are at 49.1%, still well below the 77.8% average for this time of year.
In a statement today, David Kaye, director of water at the company, said the restrictions on hosepipes will remain in place despite the recent rainfall.
He said:
The rainfall over the weekend was very welcome. It has the triple impact of reducing demand from our customers, providing relief for the environment and making its way into the region’s rivers and reservoirs.
While some parts of the region experienced more than 20mm of rain over the weekend, we’ve had five months of below long-term average rainfall in Yorkshire, so one weekend is not going to improve things to a level where reservoir stocks recover, as we continue to supply more than 1.2bn litres of water to customers every day.
Some of the rain has made it to reservoirs, reducing the amount stocks fell over the week. Crucially the rain has also replenished rivers and groundwater, meaning we can increase our abstraction from rivers and groundwater to reduce pressure on reservoirs. Despite the rain over the weekend and early part of this week, the hosepipe restrictions remain in place in our region.
We, once again, want to thank customers for their efforts to reduce water usage by putting away the hosepipes. All these efforts help to reduce demand and protect water supplies and the environment further into the summer months.
What do the restrictions involve?
Yorkshire Water said people cannot:
- Use a hosepipe to water a garden
- Use a hosepipe to clean private vehicles or boats
- Water plants with a hosepipe on a domestic or non-commercial premises
- Fill or maintain a domestic swimming pool, padding pool, hot tub or cold-water plunge pool with a hosepipe
- Use a hosepipe for domestic recreational use
- Fill or maintain a domestic pond or ornamental fountain using a hosepipe
- Clean walls or windows at a domestic property using a hosepipe
- Clean paths or patios with a hosepipe
- Clean other artificial outdoor spaces using a hosepipe
People are allowed to wash their cars or water their gardens by filling a bucket or watering can with tap water, rather than using a hosepipe.
People can also use water that is not sourced from taps, such as rainwater from a water butt, a private borehole or grey water, Yorkshire Water said.
The restrictions do not apply to apply businesses if using a hosepipe is directly related to a commercial purpose.
However, Yorkshire Water added businesses are not allowed to use a hosepipe outside of “essential commercial needs”, such as cleaning a path outside a company property.
Blue badge holders or people who are on Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services Register or WaterSure tariff for medical reasons are also excluded from the hosepipe ban.
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