The first hosepipe ban of the year has been announced. Southern Water is the first water firm in the UK to introduce a temporary use ban (Tub) in 2022.
The Tub, which will come into force on August 5, will affect people living across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. For the duration of the ban, people living in the affected areas will not be permitted to use their hosepipes to water gardens or clean cars.
Other activities forbidden while the Tub is in place include the filling of swimming pools or ornamental ponds. It marks the first Tub to be enforced in the region since 2012, reports BirminghamLive.
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Dr Alison Hoyle, director of risk and compliance at Southern Water, said: "We haven't taken this decision lightly and we know the temporary use ban will have an impact on our customers. We're working with the Environment Agency to ensure that we act responsibly to protect our environment.
"We're asking everyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to do their bit by supporting these measures and only use the water that they need. We're experiencing one of the driest years on record for over a century, and we've seen record temperatures.
"River flows are approximately 25% lower than they should be for July, which is equivalent to losing more than 25 million bathtubs of water."
Currently, nowhere in England is considered to be in a drought, with the majority of water companies maintaining good reservoir storage for summer demand. However, the EA has said that if further measures are required further down the line, temporary use bans - more commonly known as hosepipe bans - will be determined by individual water companies.
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