The company says levels are still ‘well below average’ for the time of year but are moving in the right direction
Reservoir levels in Yorkshire have risen for the seventh consecutive week but they remain “well below average” for the time of year. A household hosepipe ban has been in place in the region since July and this is set to remain in force until “reservoirs have sufficiently recovered”.
Yorkshire Water says stocks at its reservoirs are now at 57.1 per cent having reached the lowest levels “they have ever been” for the time of year during the summer which led to the introduction of usage restrictions. The average at this point of the year is 74.2 per cent.
The drop in water levels followed months of low rainfall and a drought was eventually declared in June. The Environment Agency has since issued more than 30 drought permits to Yorkshire Water to secure public drinking water supplies.
Dave Kaye, director of water services at Yorkshire Water, said: “Our reservoirs, groundwater sources, and rivers, are in recovery following the extremely dry weather we experienced in the spring and summer. However, stocks are still much lower than they should be for this time of year, and we need significant increases over the autumn and winter so that we are in a strong position heading into spring 2026.
“This means making use of the drought permits and orders we have been issued around the region to make use of more river and groundwater, helping us to hold water in the reservoir and allowing them to top up via the rainfall we’ve seen so far in autumn.”
To enable reservoirs to recover as much as possible over the next few months, Yorkshire Water has hired an additional ten task teams to focus on finding and fixing leaks across the region. Mr Kaye added: “We’ve repaired over 11,000 leaks since the beginning of April this year, and we’ve been repairing those leaks an average of 36 per cent faster than usual – leakage has reduced by 34 million litres per day since the start of April.
“However, we know there is more to do and with cold weather comes more leakage as the ground moves, and as water freezes and puts pressure on the pipes. We’re making sure we’re prepared for this by bringing additional colleagues into the business to find and fix leaks quicker.
“We’re also progressing with our £406m mains replacement scheme at pace. We’ve replaced 100km of water mains across the region so far, focusing on those that were more likely to burst or leak.”
Yorkshire Water is continuing to encourage residents to support reservoir recovery efforts by conserving water where possible. This could also include using water butts to capture rainwater to, for instance, use in gardens as well as checking homes for leaks.
Meanwhile, the utility firm said that data from smart meters has allowed it to contact 2,800 households advising them they may have a leak. Repairs have reduced leakage by 2.24-million litres a day.
Mr Kaye added: “Once again we’d like to thank customers for their efforts during the spring and summer, and for taking further steps to save water where they can.”