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Chances of a Hosepipe Ban in 2017

Despite widespread press coverage and advice on water usage from a few water companies, a hosepipe ban or water restrictions in 2017 still look unlikely.

Long term weather forecasts by the Met Office suggest the next few months are likely to be above average temperatures and below average rainfall. This follows on from having the driest winter in 20 years.

However, the Environment Agency say that a number of rivers and reservoirs were at below average levels for this time of year, but that there were no water supply issues at present.

We would point out again that hosepipe bans and water restrictions are much more likely following two dry winters which is what caused the hosepipe bans in 2012.

Affinity Water which has 3.6 million customers in the south east of England are offering the following advice to help save water:

  • By turning the tap off when brushing your teeth, you can save over 6,500 litres of water per year.
  • A bath can use up to 100 litres, a shower uses about a third of this. However be aware – modern power showers can use more water than a bath if you shower for more than 5 minutes.
  • Choose drought resistant bedding plants such as Alyssum, Geraniums, French and African Marigolds and Petunias or plant perennials such as Aquilegia, Campanula or Heuchera.
  • A garden hose or sprinkler can use almost as much water in an hour as an average family of four uses in one day. Try and use a watering can instead to water your garden.
  • The average roof collects about 85,000 litres of rain in a year! Make the most of the rain that falls during this dry period and install a water butt to help water your garden.

This is standard water saving advice given by most water companies and shouldn’t be taken as indicative of a looming hosepipe ban in 2017.

5 replies on “Chances of a Hosepipe Ban in 2017”

+1 to Sofie!

Wetter in future, and the whole problem that the top half UK will be freezing most of the year.

The whole climate change bull is just for money grabbing and fear mongering!

According to Gardeners world lead presenter , there is no drought!!! which must be why my local rivers are dry ,my water butts emptied weeks and nothing has fallen to replenish them. Every time weather forecasts rain , we are lucky to see a few spots , so few we can count them. It has been the driest for 100 years , the ostrich
approach to all this by water companies and media is crazy . Is this because the global warming theory is for wetter summers? So being this dry does not fit into their mind set?

Water companies always fix leaks rapidly, but they cannot do this unless the public are vigilant and take the trouble to report a leak when they see one!
The installation of water meters is a welcome move that gets people to use water more carefully, and the increasing use of water butts keeps bills down and helps to conserve supplies.

This is all well and good but what are water companies doing about fixing leaks? If we’re supposed to do our bit and help these profit-making companies with their supplies surely they should be fixing leaks that in some cases have been dripping for months.

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