As Britain swelters through its third heatwave, cutting water waste has never mattered more

It seems almost every day a new weather record is being set – on Thursday we saw the eighth consecutive day of temperatures at or above 34°C, and it is only natural that people will use more water during these temperatures. They need to cool down and stay hydrated and want to enjoy the hot weather, but that accumulated demand is huge.

At Thames Water we have seen daily household water use increase by an average of about 20 per cent. That equates to hundreds of millions of litres of water a day that is taken from local sources in the environment and treated to drinking standard before it flows from the taps of 10 million customers. Although our network is remaining resilient, there have been times this summer when people have been using water faster than we can produce it and move it through our system.

That’s why we are asking people to make a few simple changes as they can make a big difference, including:

• Please stop using hoses and sprinklers – they can use up to 1,000 litres an hour
• Consider using ‘grey water’ from sinks, showers or baths for the garden and lawn
• Stop washing vehicles until the heatwave passes
• Avoid filling or topping up paddling pools unless necessary
• Water plants using a watering can instead of a hose
• Turn off taps when they’re not in use
• Report/fix any leaks, dripping taps, or faulty equipment
• Only use the water you need and avoid unnecessary waste where you can

Just this week Thames Water conducted research that showed one in six people believe a lawn will die within just a week without watering. However, established lawns are remarkably resilient and in hot weather with absolutely no water, grass will protect itself by becoming dormant for four to six weeks before recovering when the rain returns. 

Alternately, Garden Designer Henry Agg has this tip: “Using grey water is a simple but powerful way to keep our gardens thriving without putting unnecessary pressure on our natural water resources.”

Some people may ask why they should take these actions when they may see leaks from the water network. Thames Water has a large, complex and old network , and the ground drying up and cracking breaks pipes and causes leaks. Our teams are working night and day to find and fix issues, and it is also why we are delivering the biggest upgrade of our network in 150 years with record investment, including replacing hundreds of kilometres of clean water pipes across the next five years, so we are trying to keep leaks to a minimum.

It is an opportunity for people to support their community, and we would like to thank all our customers who have reduced usage over the past few weeks, helping to keep supplies flowing while staying hydrated and safe.

Every litre of water you save today is helping to make a huge difference across London, the Thames Valley and the Home Counties as we all navigate these extreme temperatures.

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Martin Padley is the Water Director at Thames Water.

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