Hosepipe Ban is set for Formby from August 5th after longest heatwave for 40 years!

Formby is set for a hosepipe ban following weeks of glorious sunshine in the longest heatwave for over 40 years! As temperature continue to soar, people up and down the UK are now being urged to conserve their water usage.

We’ve all been enjoying the lovely hot weather but the lack of rain and high demand for water means that our reservoirs are now lower than we’d like them to be at this time of year.

That’s why United Utilities have taken the decision to introduce a hosepipe ban across most of the North West from Sunday 5th August. This means you won’t be allowed to use either a hosepipe or sprinkler as they use an incredible amount of water. Hosepipe bans can be inconvenient but by taking these steps now, United Utilities can make sure we have enough water for more essential things like drinking, washing and cooking.

The main restrictions include:

• Watering a garden and/or plants using a hosepipe

• Cleaning a private car, van, motorbike, trailer, caravan or leisure boat using a hosepipe

• Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming pool, paddling pool or ornamental fountain

• Cleaning walls or windows using a hosepipe

• Using water from a hosepipe for domestic recreational use

• Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe

• Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe.

You can still use water outdoors if you:

• You are a blue badge holder or are on our priority services register

• Use tap water to fill a bucket or watering can

• Use grey water, which is water that’s been used before ie bath water

• Have your own water supply such as a private borehole.

Until the ban is introduced, if you’re able to avoid using garden sprinklers and hosepipes to water your lawns at this time it really will make a big difference. Please use a watering can instead or, even better, reuse any water from the home such as water from washing up bowls or bath water.

The hosepipe ban, known as a Temporary Use Ban, will come into force on Sunday August 5.

The ban will apply to domestic customers in the North West who get their water supply from United Utilities.

So, what exactly is a hosepipe ban?

A ban on the use of hosepipes means that people are prohibited from using a hosepipe to water their garden, wash their car (or private boat), or to fill or maintain a swimming or paddling pool, pond or fountain.

There are some expectations, and the general public can still water their plants with a watering can. The ban restricts the use of hosepipes or sprinklers for watering private gardens and washing private cars but customers will still be able to water their gardens with a watering can and wash their vehicles using a bucket and sponge, the firm said, which uses a fraction of the amount of water a hosepipe or sprinkler uses.

What if you break a hosepipe ban?

Anyone found to be breaking a hosepipe ban could be prosecuted in court and fined up to £1,000. Powers given to utility companies under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 allow them to set the terms and conditions of the ban, such as the time period and hours of the ban.

Why was a hosepipe ban called in?

A hosepipe uses 540 litres an hour, as much as a family-of-four would use in one day, while a sprinkler left running overnight uses as much water as a family-of-four would use in one week, according to United Utilities.

Martin Padley, United Utilities water services director, said: "Despite some recent rainfall, reservoir levels are still lower than we would expect at this time of year and, with forecasters predicting a return to hot dry weather for the rest of July, we are now at a point where we will need to impose some temporary restrictions on customers.

"It is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are enormously grateful to customers for having helped reduce the demand on our network over the last couple of weeks, but unless we get a period of sustained rainfall before August 5 these restrictions will help us safeguard essential water supplies for longer."

To find out more information, please visit United Utilities website HERE