Hosepipe ban for millions within days

Millions of homes will be hit with hosepipe bans within the coming days as water companies try to cope with a worsening drought.

Water companies in the south and east of England, where rainfall has been too low for nearly two years, are expected to announce restrictions affecting one in three homes in the UK.

Other areas could follow, with parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire described as "high risk" in a drought report by the Environment Agency.

However, the ban is not expected to include the Black Country and Staffordshire, where water firms have said the region was not in drought.

The move follows months of concern about the arid conditions, which have seen rivers run dry and reservoirs at record low levels. In some areas, this has been the driest winter since records began a century or more ago, and weeks of sustained rainfall would be needed for levels to get back to normal.

Yesterday was the second warmest day of the year, and the Met Office says most of this week will be sunny and dry.

It is not forecasting any significant rainfall in drought-affected areas over the next month.

Anglian, Southern, Thames, South East and Veolia – which covers part of London and the Home Counties – are set to bring in bans which will start in two to four weeks. The companies have a total of about 20 million customers. Portsmouth Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water may also announce restrictions this month.

An Environment Agency spokesman declined to comment on when water restrictions could be introduced but said: "Hosepipe bans are very effective at cutting water usage, especially in the summer months, as 50 per cent of water use is domestic."

The first step companies can take is restricting the use of hosepipes and sprinklers for washing cars and watering gardens. Those who flout a hosepipe ban face a £1,000 fine.

Caps on non-essential business use such as watering golf courses, cleaning pavements and car washes could follow. There are fears that the restrictions could affect this summer's

Olympic Games, and officials are said to be drawing up contingency plans.

Both South Staffordshire Water and Severn Trent Water said they were "confident" there would not be a hosepipe ban in the region.

Helen Vale, national drought co-ordinator at the Environment Agency, said: "Everyone must play their part by using water wisely."