Severn Trent appeals people to use water wisely - no hosepipe bans yet

Severn Trent is asking people to use water wisely as demand increases to some of the highest peaks on record due to the ongoing high temperatures in the UK. But there are no hosepipe bans in Birmingham yet.

The company said their network is in a good position - even though there are hosepipe bans due to the heatwave in some parts of the country.

The water supplier, which services more than 4.6m households, said the extreme weather conditions could continue to increase demand.

With temperatures in the mid-30s, 2022 had the driest July in more than three decades and the alarm bells are ringing. The Met office said that up to 26 July there was only 15.8mm of rain averaged across England - 24% of the expected amount in an average July.

Severn Trent offered tips to save water and announced that it is actively managing its Drought Action Plan.

You can save water if you:

• Keep a jug of water in the fridge rather than running the tap until it’s cold
• Ask children to water the plants with leftover water from their paddling pool – a fun activity to keep them entertained whilst also saving money and water
• Wait until the dishwasher or washing machine is full before using it

They added they are pumping an extra hundred million litres of water into the network every day, while the number of tankers in the fleet has been doubled so water can be moved into supply more quickly than ever before.

Engineers are fixing around 3,000 leaks a month, which can be caused by pipes bursting as a result of the ground drying up and moving due to the hot weather. They also cautioned against swimming in reservoirs due to unseen dangers.

Dan Taberner, Operations Manager for Visitor Sites at Severn Trent, said: “We also realise that on a hot day, a large body of water such as a reservoir can look like a tempting option to cool off, but there are hidden dangers under the surface including pumping machinery, and even on a hot day, the water will be extremely cold that can lead to even the strongest swimmers getting into trouble.

“So, we’d like to encourage people come and have a great day out but ask them to please stay out of the water.”

However, the Met office issued Yellow warnings for thunderstorms in the Midlands for Monday 15 August.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.