Why a hosepipe ban is not imposed on every household

All but one of the East of England's four main water companies announced they would be imposing a hosepipe ban on households last week.

The temporary measure means customers risk receiving a fine of up to £1,000 if they use their hosepipe to perform tasks such as filling up a swimming pool or watering their gardens.

Anglian Water, Affinity Water and Cambridge Water, which all supply much of the UK's driest region, cited warm weather, little rain, and increased demand as the reasons for the ban.

So why then has the sole outlier, Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW), been able to avoid implementing the extreme measure on its customers?

While the companies may border one another geographically, key differences across supply areas mean they each have their own criteria to adhere to.

Everything from reservoir levels, demand, weather forecasts, water networks and raw water quality can influence the decision to impose a ban or not.

Leakages also play a huge part, as do investment and development.

The hosepipe bans come after sweltering heatwaves across the country and the region, which the Met Office said was the UK's driest between 1991 and 2020.

Affinity Water's restrictions come into force from 00:01 BST on 17 July.

They will affect households in parts of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Surrey, as well as some in north and west London.

It told the BBC the decision on whether to impose a ban varied between water companies because they each "manage different water resources and demand".

"At Affinity Water, we've experienced exceptionally high demand, around 20% above average, following prolonged hot and dry weather," a spokesperson said.

"This is why we've taken the decision to introduce restrictions to help protect water supplies in response to the prolonged hot, dry weather and exceptionally high demand."

Cambridge Water, which supplies Cambridgeshire and parts of Hertfordshire, will also enforce its hosepipe ban from 00:01 BST on 17 July.

It said the decision was not one it had "taken lightly" and marked the first time in 30 years it had brought one in.

"We have been doing everything possible to maintain supplies, but demand for water is currently at record levels," said Elena Karpathakis, managing director.

"So we really need your help please. We are incredibly grateful for your support at this crucial time, so I want to say a huge thank you to all our customers."

Anglian Water, meanwhile, which supplies parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk, has already imposed its ban.

Daniel Johns, managing director of water resources east, said it took a "pretty extreme combination of circumstances" for a hosepipe ban to be enforced.

"But that's exactly what we have," he added.

"Imposing a temporary usage ban now is the right thing to do to protect the environment.

"Everyone has a right to world-class drinking water, but we must all take responsibility to use it wisely, especially in heatwave conditions when nature and the environment are at their most vulnerable."

In 2015, ESW said it spent £150m expanding Abberton Reservoir, which at the time made it the nation's largest reservoir development for 25 years.

And between 2025 and 2030, the company plans to invest a further £1.5bn to improve its service and strengthen its network and supply.

Kieran Ingram, water director, said, while ESW had not imposed a hosepipe ban, he was still "appealing to our customers to show some restraint with their water use".

"The dry and hot weather means river flows are lower than normal, we're seeing exceptionally high demand, and there have been a number of weather-related bursts," he said.

"While as a company we are used to managing demand and monitoring stock levels carefully, we also need to work together to do all we can to use water wisely and leave as much water as possible in our rivers for nature."

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