Leeds hosepipe ban update as Yorkshire Water says usage drops but reservoir levels still falling
Yorkshire Water reports a drop in water usage since hosepipe restrictions began earlier this month - but reservoir levels remain critically low.
Since the ban came into effect on July 11, domestic water usage across Yorkshire has decreased by 10 per cent, accounting for around 70-80 litres a day during warm days, the water provider said. Cooler weather and rainfall over the last three weeks have also led to savings of around 35 million litres.
However, despite the reduced water usage and increased number of repairs to leaks across the region, reservoir levels have continued to decrease, dropping 1.7 per cent over the last seven days. In total, stocks dropped to 47.4 per cent, well below the average of 76.5 per cent for this time of year.
Yorkshire Water also added that the 135,000 smart meters fitted across the region have helped to identify more than 2,000 properties with leaky pipework. So far, half of all customers informed of leaks on their property have taken steps to repair them, saving around 1.5 million litres of water every day.
Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said the reduced water usage is a testament to customers' understanding of the need to put the hosepipe away to help preserve valuable water resources.
Mr Kaye said: “A 10 per cent reduction in domestic water use since restrictions were implemented is fantastic and testament to our customers who understand the need to put the hosepipes away and to save water where they can after an extremely dry 2025 so far.
“We have seen temperatures drop and patches of rainfall across the region in recent weeks, which both help to bring down demand for water, but reservoir levels are still falling as we continue to distribute over 1.2 billion litres of water every day. We really appreciate the efforts of residential and business customers to do what they can to reduce water usage.
“Our teams are working around the clock to find and fix leaks, repairing more than 800 every week to keep water in supply.
“The hosepipe restrictions remain in place, and we recently enacted the next stage of our drought plan – the application for drought permits and orders – to manage the water resources picture in the near and longer-term. We will keep customers updated on water resources over the coming weeks and months and will remove the hosepipe restrictions as soon as we can.”