A hosepipe ban has been imposed on more than 350,000 people in Cambridgeshire – the first such restriction in the region in three decades – as the UK endures a third scorching heatwave and temperatures smash records for the number of days above 34C. Cambridge Water said the ban takes effect immediately and becomes legally enforceable from 1am BST on July 17, with rulebreakers facing fines of up to £1,000.
The company, which supplies drinking water to Cambridge, Ramsey, Gamlingay, Balsham and Melbourn, said demand has surged 30% – equivalent to an extra 300,000 baths every day – while rainfall has been below average since March. “On hot days – which have been continuous for several weeks now – the demand for water outstrips the maximum amount of water we are able to abstract from the environment, treat and distribute,” the utility said.
“First hosepipe ban in 30 years hits 350,000 as UK smashes record for days above 34C.”
Elena Karpathakis, managing director at Cambridge Water, said: “We have been doing everything possible to maintain supplies, but demand for water is currently at record levels. So we really need your help please.” She added: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly – it is the first time in more than 30 years, since the UK drought of 1995, that we have had to introduce a temporary hosepipe ban.”
The ban comes as the Met Office confirmed that Thursday’s high of 34.4C at Wisley in Surrey marked the eighth day this year that temperatures have exceeded 34C, breaking the previous record of seven days set in 1976 and equalled in 2020. The heatwave has also prompted the UK Health Security Agency to extend amber health alerts to the East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and London from Thursday to Sunday, on top of existing alerts for the Midlands and southern England. Yellow alerts cover northern England until Sunday. The agency warned of significant impacts including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
Other water companies are also imposing restrictions. South East Water introduced a ban on July 3 for areas of Kent including Ashford, Canterbury, Faversham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Snodland, Tenterden and Tunbridge Wells. Southern Water is set to bring in a ban for about one million customers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on Friday. Cambridge Water said it has begun drawing down on underground reserves “sooner and faster” than normal, adding: “We still have several months of summer ahead of us, which could be filled with equally hot and dry weather.” The utility said the ban was necessary to “help protect local water resources and the region’s internationally important chalk streams”.
Meanwhile, Britain’s electricity grid operator issued a plea for more power generation, forecasting tight margins for Thursday evening due to “extreme temperatures” in Europe – the third such margin notice this year, typically issued during winter cold spells. Scientists say record-breaking weather is becoming more intense and more frequent because of climate change, largely driven by burning fossil fuels. With officials warning of an increasing risk of drought in East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall, the question now is how long the taps can stay on.