Water firms lift hosepipe use bans

12 April 2012

A hosepipe ban affecting more than 12 million people has been lifted.

The South East's record two-year drought, the worst for 73 years, has been declared over by four water companies.

Thames Water, Three Valleys Water, Southern Water and Sutton & East Surrey Water, whose combined reach extends from Buckinghamshire to London to the Isle of Wight, all lifted the ban.

For many gardeners it will be the first time in nearly a year that they have been free to water their lawns without fear of being reported.

But a ban remains in place for more than two million residents of Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.

Their suppliers, Mid Kent Water and South East Water, are due to review their hosepipe bans at the end of the month.

South East Water said it is to allow more time for parched underground water sources - which provide three-quarters of all supplies - to recover.

Thames Water said the decision follows four months of above-average rainfall between September and December which eased immediate worries about water resources.

Richard Aylard, external affairs and environment director at Thames Water, said: "The good news is that the recent wet weather has allowed us to fill our reservoirs.

"It has taken some time for the rain to seep down into underground aquifers that keep rivers and reservoirs topped up during the spring and the summer, but groundwater levels throughout the catchment are also rising and are expected to have generally recovered to at least near normal levels by February."

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