Thames Water has written to customers apologising for not being able to lift its hosepipe ban yet.

The water company said despite recent wet weather rivers across its region are well below their average level and reservoirs in Oxford are down by 28 per cent.

It said demand for water is higher than usual and asked customers to help by sticking to the hosepipe ban, which came into force on August 24, "a little longer".

It said: "We’re really grateful to customers for saving water where they can. But we’ve had to keep the hosepipe ban in place as a key part of our drought plan. Everything we do now will help protect supplies next summer and help the environment.

"We know these restrictions impact your day-to-day activities around your home and beyond, and we're grateful for your support."

 

A statement on its website said it was doing all it can to reduce leakage and had fixed 1,064 leaks last week.

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As a result of customer feedback, Thames Water, which supplies nearly 10 million people, is now allowing customers to use a hosepipe on an allotment – but not in a garden – to water food being grown there, where essential.

You can also water new trees, grass and plants for the first 28 days from planting, whether you or a business has done the planting.

And sports pitches can be watered to maintain their commercial viability.

Businesses can fill hot tubs as part of offering a service to customers, such as installation and commissioning. However, domestic users must not then top up or refill them.

In September Andrew Tucker, Thames Water's water demand manager, told the BBC there was no set date for the ban being lifted.

However, it was unlikely it would happen before the New Year.

He said: "We are still trying to recover from a really tough year that Mother Nature threw at us."

 

 

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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