The water company, which supplies Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, parts of Surrey, Gloucestershire, North Wilshire and west Kent, announced the ban on August 17 due to “unprecedented weather”. The ban will mean people must not use pipes connected to the water supply – ruling out a range of jobs around the home that people may think are exempt. Read more: What are the tire ban rules, what are the exceptions and what do they mean? Record-breaking heat and low rainfall have plunged large parts of the country into drought conditions, with much of the UK landscape turning from green to brown to yellow. In recent weeks, major fires have been reported in parts of London, Kent and Essex, while the hot weather last week has resulted in incidents of people getting into difficulty while swimming in lakes, rivers and the sea. Despite heavy rain and flooding in parts of the UK, the ban has come into effect. In a statement issued last week, Thames Water said: “We are working around the clock to supply everyone and customers are saving water where they can. “But with low rainfall forecast for the coming months, we now need to take the next step in our drought plan.” Image: The areas to be affected by Thames Water’s pipe ban. Photo: Thames Water In addition to Thames Water, Southern Water, Southeast Water, Yorkshire Water, Southwest Water and Welsh Water have so far implemented or announced bans. With the Yorkshire Water ban due to start on August 26, a total of 24 million people will be affected by restrictions on water use – including five million in Yorkshire, 2.2 million in Kent and Sussex, one million in Cornwall, areas of Devon, in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 200,000 in Pembrokeshire and 80,000 in the Isle of Man. Since the bans were introduced in recent weeks, people have been encouraged to report neighbors for breaking the bans. However, the National Council of Police Chiefs urged citizens not to report any violations to the police, as this is a civil matter and not a criminal one. Devon and Cornwall Police said they had already seen “unprecedented demand” on the hotlines, receiving more than 1,000 calls a day. On Tuesday, the National Drought Team took further steps to manage the ongoing drought conditions, including moving the West Midlands into drought.
