Yorkshire Water announces hosepipe ban affecting Leeds and Yorkshire – what you need to know
A strict hosepipe ban will take effect in just a few days.
Yorkshire Water has announced hosepipe restrictions across Yorkshire after the region experienced the driest spring on record.
From Friday, July 11, residents in Leeds and across the region will be prohibited from using hosepipes to water their gardens or plants, wash private vehicles or boats, fill or maintain swimming pools, paddling pools, hot tubs, or cold-water plunge pools, as well as fill or maintain domestic ponds or ornamental fountains.
The ban also restricts the use of hosepipes for cleaning home walls, windows, paths, patios, or artificial outdoor surfaces. However, people are still allowed to carry out these activities using water from a bucket or watering can, or utilising any water not sourced from the mains supply, such as grey water, rainwater, or private boreholes.
Businesses that use hosepipes for commercial purposes are exempt from the restrictions. This also applies to blue badge holders and individuals registered with Yorkshire Water's Priority Services or on the WaterSure tariff.
Failure to comply with the ban may result in a personal fine of up to £1,000, payable to the treasury. You can find more detailed information, along with additional exceptions and restrictions, here.
It comes after the Environment Agency declared a drought in Yorkshire last month, as extreme heat and lack of rainfall have caused the region's reservoirs to reach record low levels.
In a statement, Yorkshire Water said its reservoir levels haven't increased since the last week of January. The company said: "While we’re out 24/7 fixing leaks and looking after your water, we’re asking customers to put down their hosepipes, so we can let our reservoirs recover.
"Our reservoir levels haven’t actually increased since the last week of January! Normally our groundwater sources and reservoirs get topped up over spring when the weather is changeable but this year we’ve had the driest spring on record and Yorkshire is officially in drought.
"The hosepipe restrictions allow us to apply for drought permits, so we can change how we’re operating and further protect water supplies."