Hampshire hosepipe ban: Southern Water hints restrictions could be on their way for county

As temperatures are expected to keep rising this week – before another scorching weekend – the issue of water supply has reared its head.

Water companies are urging people not to waste water during the heatwave.

Suppliers have said that higher demand and irresponsible use during hot weather spells can lead to people not having any water running through their taps.

This is not due to a shortage, they say, but to do with companies not being able to treat water quick enough to keep up with the demand.

They have urged people to find alternatives to cooling down rather than having cold showers, including taking a dip in a local swimming pool or the sea.

A spokesman from Southern Water said: ‘When the weather hots up, we all use more water and we can see our daily demand jump by hundreds of millions of litres. Drier weather means less rainfall too and this year we have experienced long periods. The places that we extract water from to supply our customers, like groundwater, rivers and reservoirs, will be lower.

‘We do not anticipate the need for temporary use bans across the whole of our region in the coming months. However, we may require extra measures in certain areas where water is scarcer and the pressure on supply is greatest, such as Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are working closely with local communities and partner agencies in these areas, to keep disruption to a minimum.’

Affinity Water, which supplies parts of the southern and eastern parts of the UK, has urged people to avoid using sprinklers and hosepipes to save 1,000 litres an hour, but added there is not an outright hosepipe ban.

The company has also suggested to avoid using large inflatable pools, only using dishwashers and washing machines when full and turning off the tap when brushing your teeth.

The whole of England is largely expected to experience sunny days with some cloud over the next week to match the temperatures of mid to high 20s.

The forecaster has predicted it will cool off a little on Friday, with the north-west and north-east of England predicted to have some rain with temperatures reaching highs of 19C, ahead of a warmer weekend.

Today could be the hottest day of the year so far, with the current marker of 32.7C – recorded at Heathrow on June 17 – likely to be overtaken.

This means parts of the country will be hotter than some of the world’s top beach destinations, including the Maldives and Marbella in Spain.

A Level Three Heat Health Alert has been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from 9am on Monday to 9am on Friday in the east and south-east of England, with the rest of the nation having a level 2 alert in place.

The four-level system highlights the potential health impacts of these high temperatures.

Councils are advising people to take precautions amid the soaring temperatures.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, has encouraged people to enjoy the sun safely and to check up on those who may be more vulnerable, including the elderly and those with heart and respiratory problems.