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Water resources
Why do some companies have water supply restrictions? The water supply system in England and Wales is planned on the basis of occasional hosepipe bans and we cannot expect companies to upgrade systems to avoid hosepipe bans in all circumstances - to do so would be costly and add to customers' bills. Generally, research has shown that customers accept that occasional hosepipe and sprinkler bans are necessary. The current low levels of rainfall mean that the actions taken to restrict usage for example hosepipe bans are necessary. It is not possible or sensible to eliminate all risk of supply interruptions during extreme events such as a drought, but we do expect companies to take action (such as hosepipe bans) to reduce this risk. Water supply restrictions such as hosepipe and sprinkler bans do not necessarily mean that a company is failing its customers. Water companies have drought plans that outline the steps needed to maintain supply at times of drought. Some companies introduce restrictions on use as a precaution, so they can maintain adequate supplies to their customers for essential use in the longer term. We believe this is a sensible response to a difficult situation.  |
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