No plans for hosepipe ban in East Anglia despite ongoing heatwave
Anglian Water have revealed that there are no plans for a hosepipe ban in East Anglia, despite the recent spell of dry weather.
People in the North West of England will be hit with a temporary ban starting from August, while restrictions have been in place in Northern Ireland since the end of June.
Following one of the driest Junes on record in the Anglia region, and a similarly arid start to July, there had been concerns that a similar ban would be imposed in the East, but Anglian Water have confirmed that won't be the case.
In fact, many reservoirs are still brimming after a wet winter, with sites like Rutland Water, Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire, Alton Water in Suffolk and Pitsford Water near Northampton all currently 93% full - which is actually above average for this time of year.
The ongoing heatwave has seen a big increase in demand for water, with an extra 200 million litres a day being used at present.
However, Anglian Water said the East is better adapted to deal with any issues compared to other areas of the country - despite the lack of rainfall.
"We’re used to lots of people needing water, and having little rain – ours is the driest region in the UK with just two thirds of the national average rainfall, and it’s also one of the fastest growing," Paul Valleley, Director of Water Services for Anglian Water said.
"Two of the five fastest growing cities are in our patch, with new homes being built all the time. So it’s something we have been planning for and investing in for a long time."