Yorkshire Water has issued thanks to local residents for putting down the hosepipes and using water wisely following the hot weather over the weekend.
From Friday, the county was placed under a hosepipe ban as a result of one of the driest and warmest springs for 132 years. The restrictions will be in place until the region sees enough rainfall, which Yorkshire Water warned may not be until winter.
With certain things now banned, such as using a hosepipe to water your garden or clean your car, Yorkshire Water has praised people for following the rules following hot temperatures in recent days. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, water usage dropped by 80-100 million litres compared to the previous heatwaves in June – the equivalent to Hull’s daily supply.
Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “We understand the hosepipe restrictions are frustrating, but we’d like to thank customers who have put down the hosepipes over what was an extremely hot weekend. Usage decreased significantly compared to the previous heatwave.
“It’s important we all continue to do our bit to protect resources further into the summer and with some rainfall predicted in the next few days it’s a good time to install a water butt and collect grey water that can be used on gardens through the summer.”
In the last two weeks, there has also been a 52 per cent increase in leaks reported by customers. More than 330 leaks are fixed per week according to Yorkshire Water.
Mr Kaye added: “We’d also like to thank customers who are reporting leaks to us. Taking the time to report leaks and not walking past them is vital. It helps us, particularly with smaller leaks, to investigate quickly and get the repair completed as soon as we can. Leaks with blue markings around them have been investigated and are awaiting repair, which we try to do as quickly as possible, prioritising the most severe or those impacting customer supplies.
“Every leak is different and there are factors that mean we can’t always repair them as quickly as we would like. Repairs in the road require permission from local authorities and there is also the possibility of other utilities in the ground in the repair area, which requires additional time. The removal of road furniture and street lighting, the need to shut off water supplies for a short time which needs to be carefully planned, and customers notified, as well as the possible traffic implications can all cause delays too, but we are committed to fixing leaks as quickly as we can.
“We’re all in this together – the vast majority of our colleagues are customers too – and we’re all doing our bit at home and in the workplace to save water.”
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