Hosepipe ban: Yorkshire Water gives update as heatwave hits again

The company brought in a hosepipe ban on Friday 11 July, after the driest and hottest spring on record.

The Environment Agency declared a drought in Yorkshire in June, which has since been described as a “nationally significant incident”.

With the mercury set to reach the mid to high 20s again this summer, Yorkshire Water said water use has shot up yet again.

The firm said reservoir stocks have dropped to 42 per cent, well below the normal average of 75 per cent for this time of year.

Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’ve seen a fantastic response from our customers since introducing the hosepipe restrictions – from them putting the hosepipes away and fixing leaky loos, to installing water butts and reporting leaks they see in the street to us so we can repair them as quickly as possible.

“Despite the reduction in water use and leakage being at its lowest ever level following our leak repairs, reservoir stocks dropped over the last seven days to 42.2 per cent … the lowest they have ever been at this time of year after an extremely dry 2025.

“With the hot weather ahead of us we’re asking customers to keep going with their efforts to save water as everything we do know will help to protect water supplies and the environment.”

It comes as North Yorkshire Council sought to assure people that water was “being used sparingly” to clean the county’s roads.

Readers had got in touch with The Yorkshire Post, questioning why road cleaning tankers were allowed to fill from near empty Thruscross Reservoir while customers had restrictions placed on them.

A council spokesperson said road sweeping on the A59 was being “carried out to remove hazards, which could lead to accidents”.

“Clean roads also improve visibility by reducing dust and dirt in the air,” they added. “To ensure this is done effectively, water is being used sparingly and only when necessary.”