Yorkshire Water has ended the temporary use restrictions that came into place in August following months of below average rainfall.
The company ended the hosepipe ban on Tuesday (6 December) despite the region still being classified as in drought by the Environment Agency. Yorkshire said the combination of customer efforts to save water and the wetter autumn months mean restrictions can end.
The ban, which was imposed to relieve pressure on reservoirs, saved an average of 28 megalitres per day that helped restore water levels.
Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire, said: “We’re really grateful to our customers for their efforts to save water whilst the weather was drier than usual. Thanks to a number of emergency drought schemes, drought permits, increased leakage activity, rainfall, and everyone’s efforts to save water, reservoirs are now looking much healthier – with the average level across the region now at 75%.”
To replenish stocks, a water transfer scheme was put in place, with Galliford Try, involving 2km of pipe across moorland to connect Walshaw Dean Upper reservoir in Calderdale with Ponden reservoir in the Worth Valley. This, together with drought measures restored reservoir levels from 20% to around 80%.
Yorkshire was one of six companies to impose restrictions during the summer drought, of which, bans remain in place in South East and parts of South West Water’s regions. This was the first year since 2012 that anywhere in the UK saw hosepipe bans.
The National Drought Group, which met regularly during the dry summer, last week warned that 2023 could see interruptions if companies did not prepare, despite the wettest November on record.