Thames Water is planning to announce a hosepipe ban “in the coming weeks" in the face of the long-term forecast of dry weather and hot temperatures, the company said.
The company, which supplies water to 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, said the “temporary-use” ban would be imposed as a result of “very hot temperatures” and a long-term forecast of dry weather.
“The timing is not confirmed due to a number of operational and legal procedural requirements but we will be updating our customers, partners, regulators and stakeholders at the earliest time to ensure a co-ordinated approach,” a spokesperson said.
"In the meantime, we continue to urge our customers to only use what they need for their essential use."
It comes after the Met Office issued a four-day amber warning for extreme temperatures in parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms.
The warning, for Thursday to Sunday, comes as the forecaster predicted 35C in places or even an “isolated” 36C – below last month’s record temperatures, which peaked above 40C in some spots.
Delays to travel are possible and there is an increased risk of water accidents and fires as more people visit coasts and beauty spots, the Met Office also warned.
Asked about the prospect of a hosepipe ban for London earlier this wee, London minister Paul Scully said it was “always sensible” for people to conserve water.
He said: “I think it’s always sensible for people to be conserving water anyway, from an environmental point of view, and a cost point of view for those people on a water meter.
“But we’ll look carefully because the whole point about London and the South East is that the more development you have and the less rainfall there is, then obviously there’s less to go around and we’ve got to be careful.”
The UK Health Security Agency has already issued an amber alert covering southern and central England from noon on Tuesday until 6pm on Saturday, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.
The Met Office said temperatures will likely rise into the low to mid-30s in the warning area.
With the latest heatwave coming after months of low rain, which have left the countryside and urban parks and gardens tinder-dry, households in some areas are being urged not to light fires or have barbecues.
The Met Office’s fire severity index (FSI), an assessment of how severe a fire could become if one were to start, is very high for most of England and Wales, and will reach “exceptional” for a swathe of England by the weekend.
