Severn Trent 'working around the clock' to avoid West Midlands hosepipe ban amid third heatwave of 2025
Severn Trent is urging customers to be "even more mindful" of their water use as the West Midlands enters the third heatwave of the year.
Just over halfway through and 2025 is shaping up to be a record-breaking year for weather.
Following the sunniest April on record, both March and April saw well below-average rainfall. Hot on the heels of one of the driest springs on record, June took the title of warmest month on record for England.
Now, it's not even halfway through July and we're experiencing the third heatwave of the year.
While firefighters battle a seemingly unending spate of fires in dry undergrowth, the warm weather and lack of rainfall pose a risk to the region's water supplies.
As of this week, current water storage levels in the Severn Trent region are at 68.5 per cent of capacity.
That's 16.4 per cent lower than it was this time last year when water storage levels were at 84.9 per cent.
But the region is faring better than elsewhere in the country. The latest figures from Yorkshire - where a hosepipe ban came into effect on Friday (July 11) - show reservoirs at 55.8 per cent full.
While Severn Trent hasn't ruled out the possibility of imposing its first hosepipe ban in decades, the water company remains confident one isn't coming our way.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “Severn Trent hasn’t had a hosepipe ban for over 30 years because we know just how important it is for our customers.
"It’s why we have thousands of employees working around the clock right now to keep the water flowing.
"We’re finding and fixing more leaks than ever before, investing record amounts in new pipes, and upgrading and developing new treatment works, adding hundreds of millions of litres of drinking water into our network.
“So, whilst we want to reassure our customers that we’re doing everything we can to keep the water flowing, we can’t escape how hot and dry it is, and how little rainfall we’ve had this year.
"We experienced record levels of demand just last week and that’s why, as well as doing everything we can, we’re also asking our customers to be even more mindful of their water usage during this hot spell.”
The water company has also issued some tips that customers can follow to help reduce their water usage, including turning off taps when not in use, fixing leaks quickly, timing showers and ensuring dishwashers are full before use.
