Water company imposes hosepipe ban (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Water company imposes hosepipe ban

MORE than 20 thousand homes across Gloucestershire and Wiltshire face a dry summer after Thames Water announced plans for its first hosepipe and sprinkler ban for 15 years.

The restrictions, which come into force on April 3, will prevent the use of hosepipes and sprinklers in the garden or in the washing of cars.

But it is only restricted to domestic use and will not affect farmers, garden centres or other businesses.

Thames Water, which supplies water to the Cotswolds and parts of Wiltshire, said the move follows a drought which began in November 2004 and has so far seen 15 months of below-average rainfall across the area.

Last year was the third driest since records began and even drier than the drought year of 1976.

As a result of the recent dry weather one of the Cotswolds' most famous landmarks has moved from Gloucestershire into Wiltshire.

The source of the River Thames is usually found a quarter of a mile from the Thameshead pub near Coates.

Now the spring has shifted into Wiltshire on the other side of Kemble.

Another part of the district affected by the lack of water is the Cotswold Water Park which has seen the lowest water levels for many years.

Jeremy Pelczer, chief executive of Thames Water, said the decision to bring in a hosepipe ban was not taken lightly and he warned further restrictions could be enforced across the region.

He said: "Much still depends on how much rainfall we receive in the coming weeks. If we see little rain, coupled with high demand, then we may have to go further and restrict a wider range of non-essential uses of water.

"We have now had two dry winters in a row. Winter is a vital time, when substantial rainfall normally soaks down through the soil to top up the underground water sources that feed rivers and boreholes.

"This doesn't happen in the spring and summer, because a lot of the water is taken up by evaporation and plant growth.

"This is an unusual and difficult situation and we are asking our customers to help us conserve supplies, by using water carefully."

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said Thames Water could have avoided the ban.

He said: "They are the largest water company but they lose 900 litres of water a day. If they had concentrated more money on stopping those leaks we would not in the situation we are now.

"I don't think they have invested enough money in new infrastructure. Thames Water has a poor record in the Cotswolds and now to have this. We in the west of their region tend to be ignored. It is time they woke up and put more effort into our area."

A Thames Water spokesman said the company had 1,000 people working on leaks and was investing £500,000 a day on improving its systems.