Anglian Water will implement a hosepipe ban for more than five million customers in the east of England starting at 1 a.m. on Saturday [1].
The restriction comes as officials warn that a third heatwave is increasing the risk of drought across the region. The measure is intended to preserve water supplies during a period of extreme weather that has strained local infrastructure.
Under the new rules, customers are prohibited from using hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, or fill swimming pools [1]. This represents the first time in 10 years that Anglian Water has issued such a ban [2].
Company officials cited the severity of the current weather patterns when announcing the decision. "We are seeing unrelenting hot and dry conditions across the East," an Anglian Water spokesperson said [2].
The scope of water restrictions varies by region. While Anglian Water's ban affects millions, other areas have seen different scales of intervention. For example, approximately 850,000 customers in Kent have been subject to bans [3], and other reports indicate nearly one million people nationwide have faced emergency hosepipe restrictions [4].
The ban follows a series of high-temperature alerts. The company's decision to limit non-essential water use is a response to the lack of rainfall and the sustained heat that has depleted reservoirs.
“"We are seeing unrelenting hot and dry conditions across the East."”
The scale of this ban, affecting over five million people, indicates a significant regional water crisis driven by recurring heatwaves. By implementing the first such restriction in a decade, Anglian Water is signaling that current reservoir levels are insufficient to withstand the projected dry spell without immediate consumer intervention.
