hosepipe ban Archives - Page 2 of 2

Hosepipe ban lifted after wet autumn across Harrogate district

The hosepipe ban covering the Harrogate district has been lifted with immediate effect.

Yorkshire Water said the public’s efforts to save water, combined with more wet weather than average during the autumn, meant the restrictions imposed on August 26 were no longer needed.

The company said an average of 28 million litres of water had been saved each day under the restrictions, taking pressure off its reservoirs. However, Yorkshire is still classified by the Environment Agency as being in drought conditions.

Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We’re really grateful to our customers for their efforts to save water whilst the weather was drier than usual.

“Thanks to a number of emergency drought schemes, drought permits, increased leakage activity, rainfall, and everyone’s efforts to save water, reservoirs are now looking much healthier – with the average level across the region now at 75%.”

Yorkshire Water said it had hired more technicians to deal with leaks and working seven days a week to carry out repairs. It said leakage had reduced by more than 9% this year, as it works towards a goal of a 15% reduction by 2025.

Mr Dewis added:

“As we’ve seen this year, climate change is making weather patterns more extreme.

We recently submitted our latest draft water resource management plan to the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs. The document predicts future water use, weather patterns, and sets out our action plan to reduce the likelihood of future restrictions and ensure we can continue to meet demand over the next 60 years.

“We’d welcome feedback from customers and other stakeholders on our draft plan, which can be viewed on our website.

“Whilst the hosepipe ban is no longer in place, it’s really important that we all continue to save water where we can. Adopting small habits like reusing grey water or installing a water butt will save water and energy, helping to reduce bills and protect the environment.”

To view the draft water resource management plan, click here.

Hosepipe ban to remain despite heavy rain across Harrogate district

The hosepipe ban across the Harrogate district will remain in place despite today’s heavy rainfall.

Yorkshire Water confirmed it will keep the ban in order to help refill its reservoirs ready for dry weather in spring and summer next year.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Although we have had some rainfall recently, reservoir levels are still significantly below where we would expect for this time of year and are only around half full.

“Winter is the best chance our reservoirs have to refill and be ready for the warmer and drier months in spring and summer next year.

“We’re grateful to our customers who have been saving water where they can this summer, it’s important that we all continue to do so over winter too. Our teams are out 24/7 fixing leaks and moving water around the region to where it’s needed.

“The hosepipe ban is still in place to help protect the environment and give our reservoirs the best possible chance at returning to healthy levels.”

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for heavy rain across the district today and into tomorrow morning, saying there is the possibility of localised flooding.

Meanwhile, extensive surface water has appeared on the Stray in Harrogate and there are reports of small patches of flooding on roads across the district.

One hardy resident was out this morning trying to clear leaves from blocked drains on Leadhall Lane, in an attempt to clear the flooded road between the junctions of Leadhall Road and By-ways.

Spotted a problem caused by the weather? Email us the details to let others know.

Harrogate district’s floral displays fall victim to hosepipe ban

The Harrogate district’s famous floral displays will soon be looking worse for wear due to the hosepipe ban.

The ban came into force today and Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed it won’t be watering plants until it is lifted.

Yorkshire Water acted following months of dry weather, which have depleted water levels in the district’s reservoirs such as Thruscross and Swinsty.

It’s the first hosepipe ban in the area since 1995 and means the council’s parks and environmental services team, which looks after floral displays in parks as well as in towns and the city of Ripon, will have to watch its hard work wither until the ban is lifted.

The district’s floral displays are a source of local pride.

Little rain is forecast for the remainder of the month.

A council spokesperson said:

“The Yorkshire Water website states that during the period of the ban councils cannot use hosepipes or sprinklers to water floral beds, displays or hanging baskets in public locations.

“This unfortunately means that we are not able to continue watering the floral beds, hanging baskets, barrier baskets or floral tubs around the Harrogate district.

“Using watering cans is not practical and continues to use water from our water supplies, which are currently in short supply and high demand”.

The council also runs a subsidised hanging basket scheme in which businesses pay the council to provide the basket and plants. Staff then water and maintain the baskets throughout the summer.

The council says businesses who use the scheme will not be eligible for a refund.

Its spokesperson added:

“The hanging basket scheme is already subsidised by the council to reduce the price of baskets to businesses in the town centre.

“The hosepipe ban has come in at the end of the season so hopefully with lower temperatures and a bit of rain over the coming weeks the baskets will last a few more weeks until they are scheduled to be removed late September.

“Whilst the hosepipe ban is unfortunate, it is also important that as community leaders we play our part in adhering to the restrictions and highlighting the need to conserve water”.

Don’t call 999 to report hosepipe ban breaches, say police

Police have urged people not to call 999 to report breaches of the hosepipe ban in the Harrogate district.

Yorkshire Water announced the ban this month following days of dry weather and high temperatures.

It comes into force today and is the first hosepipe ban in the area since 1995.

Now, North Yorkshire Police has urged the public not to report any breaches to the force.

Police said in a statement that any flouting of the ban was a civil matter not a criminal one and any calls would divert handlers away from “real emergencies”.

The force said:

“In other parts of the county, we’ve already seen colleagues receiving hundreds of 999 calls about the hosepipe bans, even before restrictions come into place.

“But the hosepipe ban is a civil matter, not a criminal one, and should not be reported to the police.

“And crucially, every call made to the police about the hosepipe ban is diverting our call handlers away from dealing with real emergencies.”

Police have urged people to follow advice on the Yorkshire Water website if they suspect potential breaches of the ban.

It comes as the Harrogate district is officially in drought following long spells of dry weather this summer.

The Environment Agency declared the drought status last week. The last drought in Yorkshire was declared in autumn 2018.

On the hosepipe ban, Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said:

“Parts of Yorkshire have seen the lowest rainfall since our records began more than 130 years ago.

“The hot, dry, weather means that Yorkshire’s rivers are running low and our reservoirs are around 20% lower than we would expect for this time of year.

“We’ve been doing everything we can to avoid putting in restrictions but unfortunately, they’re now necessary as part of our drought planning.”

The hosepipe ban includes:

Watering a garden using a hosepipe
Cleaning vehicles or boats using a hosepipe
Watering plants with a hosepipe
Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool
Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use
Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe
Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe
Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe

People can still undertake these activities without using a hosepipe if they use tap water from a bucket or watering can; or use water that is not sourced from taps such as grey water, rainwater from a water butt, or a private borehole, for example.

Businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.

There are restrictions on using a hosepipe if not for those essential commercial needs – so using a hosepipe to clean a path outside a business property, for example, would not be allowed.

Blue badge holders, those on Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services register or WaterSure tariff for medical reasons, are also excluded from the ban.

More information is available here.

Fears up to 3 million litres of water wasted during lengthy Ripon leak

There are fears up to three million litres of water went to waste in Ripon yesterday, after a Yorkshire Water mains pipe burst on North Street.

The pipe burst at around 5am and meant around 4,000 homes in Ripon and the surrounding area woke up to no water.

It wasn’t fully restored until 7pm later in the day, with the company setting up two emergency bottled water stations at Ripon fire station and Ripon Racecourse for residents.

Emergency bottled water stations were set up in the city.

The Bishop of Ripon was among those criticising Yorkshire Water’s response to customers, saying its lack of communication was “unacceptable”.

https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1560284278331678720

A source at the scene told the Stray Ferret that engineers working on the leak said 70 litres of water were lost every second before it was fixed.

In a 12-hour period, this would have meant over three million litres could have been lost in total.

We put this figure to Yorkshire Water. A spokesperson said the figure was “inaccurate” but was unable to say how much water had been lost.

They said as soon as the leak was located engineers managed to stem the flow.

However, according to the company’s Twitter account, the leak wasn’t identified until 12pm, seven hours after it was first reported.

This suggests between 1.5 million and 2 million litres of water could have been lost.

Engineers on the scene Pic: Paul Smith

The burst main has come at a bad time for Yorkshire Water. The Harrogate district is now officially in drought and a hosepipe ban will come into force from August 26.

We asked Yorkshire Water what caused the leak and a spokesperson sent the following statement:

“Our pipework has been under a lot of pressure recently – with high peaks of water usage and the dry ground causing soil to contract, which causes pipes to fracture more easily. We’ve increased resource in our field teams over the last few weeks, so that we can catch more small leaks before they turn into bursts and fix the big bursts as soon as possible.

“It took a little bit longer than usual to locate the burst pipe and complete the fix yesterday, as it was underground and tricky to locate. We delivered bottled water to customers on our priority services register and updated our customers via the website, social media and text, as to where they could collect bottled water.

“We’re grateful to our customers for their patience whilst we fixed the issue – those eligible for compensation in relation to the water supply interruption will receive it automatically.”

Harrogate district now officially in drought

The Environment Agency declared drought status in Yorkshire today due to low water levels.

This year’s prolonged spell of dry weather has led to exceptionally low river flows and reservoirs levels in the county.

Last week’s heatwave has added further pressure on the water network.

Moving to drought status means that the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water can implement stricter controls on water use.

Yorkshire Water has already announced a hosepipe ban that will come into effect from August 26.

The last drought in Yorkshire was declared in autumn 2018.

The region joins large parts of England which moved to drought status on August 12.

Victoria Slingsby, environment planning and engagement manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said:

“The high temperatures we are experiencing have exacerbated pressures on wildlife and our water environment in Yorkshire. These extreme weather conditions become more likely with climate change.

“We are experiencing some much-needed rain this week, but it will not be enough to correct weeks of dry weather, and it will take more prolonged rainfall to wet up soils and replenish rivers, reservoirs and groundwater levels.

“It’s important for everyone to manage the amount of water they are using in this exceptionally dry period.”

Harrogate district paddling pools to stay open but flower watering to reduce under hosepipe ban

Watering of public flower displays in the Harrogate district could be reduced over the coming weeks after the announcement of a hosepipe ban later this month.

Harrogate Borough Council said it will be working to reduce its water use in line with Yorkshire Water’s decision, which comes into force on Friday, August 26.

However, the authority said its three public paddling pools will remain open in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, Knaresborough’s Bebra Gardens, and Borrage Green in Ripon.

A spokesperson said:

“Following the Yorkshire Water announcement about the hosepipe ban, we are looking at what measures we can and should implement to conserve water supplies.

“Unfortunately, this may result in our baskets and floral displays looking a bit the worse for wear but we hope people will understand the reasons why.

“Our paddling pools are currently filled until after the August bank holiday, and we welcome residents and visitors using ours across the Harrogate district rather than their own.”

Harrogate’s famous floral displays could go un-watered.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council said it would be following the rules when the hosepipe ban comes into force.

Council leader Carl Les, whose portfolio includes emergency planning, said:

“We are looking at our services and where exemptions may apply, and we will be conforming with the rules. We would urge all residents to follow the advice already given out nationally and regionally on how they can conserve water usage, as we will be.

“Let’s also take care in these tinder dry conditions to avoid starting fires, which not only use large amounts of water to extinguish, but can also threaten property and in some cases lives.”

The hosepipe ban is the first to be introduced in Yorkshire since 1995.

People are asked not to use hosepipes for domestic activities including watering plants or grass, washing cars, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning outdoor surfaces.

The activities are still permitted if they are carried out without a hosepipe, such as with a bucket or watering can, or if a water butt is used, for example.

Blue Badge holders, people on Yorkshire Water priority services register and those on the WaterSure tariff for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.

The restrictions do not apply to commercial premises using a hosepipe for essential activities.

Hosepipe ban introduced for Harrogate district

The Harrogate district will be covered by a hosepipe ban from August 26.

Yorkshire Water announced this morning it was introducing the measure as England teeters on the brink of a drought.

It will be the area’s first hosepipe ban since 1995.

Neil Dewis, its director of water, said:

“Parts of Yorkshire have seen the lowest rainfall since our records began more than 130 years ago.

“The hot, dry, weather means that Yorkshire’s rivers are running low and our reservoirs are around 20% lower than we would expect for this time of year.

“We’ve been doing everything we can to avoid putting in restrictions but unfortunately, they’re now necessary as part of our drought planning.

Mr Dewis said Yorkshire Water had reduced water lost by leaky pipes by 50% since 1995/6 but the measure was still necessary.

But he said the “trigger point” for a ban had now been reached.

He added:

“We need to make sure that we have enough supply for the essential needs of people across the region this year and next, as well as making sure we’re able to protect our local environment by limiting the amount of water we have to draw from the rivers.

“Our decision to introduce a hosepipe ban is based on the risk that water stocks continue to fall in the coming weeks and the need to be cautious about clean water supplies and long term river health.”

A hosepipe ban also allows Yorkshire Water to apply for drought permits from the Environment Agency, which means it can abstract more water from rivers.

The hosepipe ban includes:

Businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.

There are restrictions on using a hosepipe if not for those essential commercial needs – so using a hosepipe to clean a path outside a business property, for example, would not be allowed.

Blue badge holders, those on Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services register or WaterSure tariff for medical reasons, are also excluded from the ban.

More information is available here.

No hosepipe ban for Harrogate district despite falling water levels

A hosepipe ban is not being introduced in the Harrogate district despite continuing dry weather — but Yorkshire Water has said it “cannot rule it out” in future.

The water company is advising people to reduce their usage as much as possible as water levels remain low in Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross reservoirs to the west of Harrogate, as well as Scar House and Grimwith in Nidderdale.

However, despite there being no rain in the forecast for the coming fortnight, the authority has not said it will follow in the footsteps of others by introducing a hosepipe ban.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Yorkshire has experienced a particularly dry spring and summer and the reservoirs and rivers in our region are seeing the impact. Reservoir levels are currently around 51% – they declined by 2% over the last week despite the rainfall we had across Yorkshire.

“We’re always asking our customers to reduce their usage where they can and allow their lawns to go brown, not wash the car for a few weeks and turn the taps off when they’re brushing their teeth to stop waste and reduce the likelihood of restrictions later in the summer.

“We’re working around the clock to move water around our network of pipes to keep taps flowing and we’re doing our bit to save water where we can too. Our team of leakage inspectors are out and about across Yorkshire, working hard to save water from leaky pipes, and are prioritising larger leaks.”

Hosepipe bans take effect today in Hampshire, with Kent and Surrey to follow next week. This morning, it was announced that a further ban will be applied in south-west Wales from Friday, August 19.

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

The hosepipe ban includes:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

The hosepipe ban includes:

Read more:

Read more: