Cambridge Water and Anglian Water hosepipe bans welcomed by Cam Valley Forum

The introduction of hosepipe bans for the region has been welcomed by Cam Valley Forum, which has warned that ponds and stretches of precious chalk streams are beginning to dry out amid the lack of rain.

Cambridge Water and Anglian Water in the Eastern region have both introduced ‘Temporary Use Bans’ on households, which are now both legally enforceable. It means anyone using a hosepipe or sprinkler for non-essential activities such as watering gardens, washing vehicles, filling paddling pools, swimming pools, hot tubs or cold-water plunge pools, or cleaning patios or windows, could face a £1,000 fine.

Anglian Water says demand has declined by about nine per cent since the ban came into force, although this has also coincided with somewhat cooler weather.

Cambridge Water said it had also witnessed a drop in demand, and both companies said they were working around the clock to find and fix as many leaks as possible, many of which have occurred due to ground movement caused by the prolonged dry weather.

The Environment Agency said on Monday (20 July): “East Anglia has received only 52 per cent of its long-term average rainfall over the past three months and most catchments have had zero rainfall to date in July. As a result, it is now appropriate to declare that Prolonged Dry Weather is affecting all our catchments.”

Cam Valley Forum, the voluntary group working to protect the Cam, said the upper reaches at Little Wilbraham are now dry, with the lower reaches maintained only by Teversham sewage works, which has a continuous effluent outflow.

The group has long campaigned for a ban on hosepipes, which use 15-17 litres of water per minute.

Michael Goodhart, from the forum’s water-saving team, said: “We have always thought that hosepipe bans would play a useful role, not only to reduce water use but also to raise public awareness of the water crisis. However, at Cam Valley Forum’s annual meetings with Cambridge Water, the company previously always made the point that they did not consider such bans to be as effective as other methods of reducing demand.”

Cambridge Water now acknowledges that a ban can lower demand by about five per cent, or five million litres a day,

Cam Valley Forum said the publicity around the bans could encourage reduced use of water more generally, and is promoting its own water-saving tips online at camvalleyforum.uk, including using a bowl to collect water when washing veg, washing up or running a tap until it gets cold, so that it can then be used to water plants.

The forum acknowledged frustration that the bans legally only apply to households, and noted that efforts to grow Cambridge’s position as a leading centre for life science and technology means the demand from commercial premises is likely to be a growing concern.

As it is, however, 70 per cent of water is used by homes – meaning the Local Plan aims for 50,000 new homes by 2040 are likely to pile further pressure on resources, particularly since the new Fens reservoir is not expected to be operational until the mid-2030s.

Cambridge Water is the only UK company that obtains all its water from an underground aquifer.

“Every time we turn on the tap, we are taking water from the same chalk aquifer that supplies us directly, agriculture and our food supplies, and our iconic river and chalk streams,” noted Cam Valley Forum.

Both water companies thanked customers for complying with the ongoing hosepipe bans.

Elena Karpathakis, managing director of Cambridge Water, said: “Daily demand is starting to move in the right direction, and that is a brilliant start, but we need everyone to keep going.

“The restrictions are now legally enforceable, but our priority remains helping customers understand what they can and cannot do, and supporting them to use water wisely. Thousands of customers are already doing the right thing, and every litre saved helps protect supplies for homes, businesses and the environment.”

Don Maher, director of customer services at Anglian Water, said: “Every lawn left to go brown and every watering can used instead of a hosepipe is helping protect our region’s precious water resources. The response from customers has been fantastic and we’re incredibly grateful for their support. While these early reductions are encouraging, conditions remain extremely challenging and we still need everyone to continue doing their bit.”

Details of the limited exemptions for the bans can be found on Camrbidge Water’s and Anglian Water’s websites, along with water-saving tips.

For more water-saving ideas, visit https://watersworthsaving.org.uk/.