‘Why haven’t water companies imposed hosepipe bans in Cambridgeshire?’ Critics aghast at inaction

Additional reporting: Alex Spencer

Water companies have been accused of dragging their feet over imposing hosepipe bans in Cambridgeshire amid the exceptionally dry and hot weather.

The Met Office said early data recorded at Cambridge University Botanic Garden showed it had received just 223mm of rain in the nine months since November 2021.

This is about half of what would be expected in the period, and makes Cambridge one of the driest places in the country.

The Environment Agency’s latest report declared the river flows on the Cam and on the Ouse at Ely to be “exceptionally low”.

As the impact of climate change becomes ever clearer, and more field fires break out, temperatures have soared again into the 30s, prompting the Met Office to issue a four-day amber warning for “extreme heat”, in place until Sunday.

The National Drought Group – comprising government and agency officials, water companies and groups such as the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) – met today to discuss the prolonged dry weather and placed the East of England, including Cambridgeshire, and some other areas of the country into drought status. While the move can prompt further action from the Environment Agency and water companies, Cambridge Water and Anglian Water swiftly confirmed that they do not intend to introduce temporary use bans - better known as hosepipe bans - unlike four other water companies to discourage excessive use of water.

Cambridge Water, which supplies the city, said this week: “At this stage, we currently do not intend to introduce a TUB, although we are reviewing this weekly.”

It noted that it was required by law to give a 14-day notice period should it decide to impose a ban.

City councillor Naomi Bennett (Green, Abbey) said: “Other water companies in equally – and even less – water-stressed regions have already taken action to reduce water wastage. We need immediate action to address the current crisis. The low levels of the city’s chalk streams and low flow in the Cam is evidence of this.

“We then need serious planning for the future that acknowledges our finite resources, or we will face a cost of living crisis that dwarfs our current problems.”

Fellow city councillor Dr Hannah Copley (Green, Abbey) added: “We need to recognise the part that Cambridge’s explosive growth and the City Deal has played in the water crisis. We face escalating and extreme heatwaves due to climate breakdown.

“The aspirations of Cambridge Water’s drought plan no longer fit with the pattern of record-breaking temperatures and droughts. Why is Cambridge Water not taking prompt action? We need to preserve as much water as possible so that people and ecosystems who need it have a sustainable supply.”

Anglian Water, which supplies much of the region, is also keep water levels under review but remains confident a hosepipe ban will not be needed.

A spokesperson said: “The last eight months have been the driest since 1976. East Anglia received just one fifth of the rain we’d expect in July.

“We operate in the driest region in the country, so conserving water and protecting against drought is what we do every day. Currently our reservoir levels are stable, at around 80 per cent full. Our underground aquifers are in reasonable shape too, at around average or just below average for the time of year.

“We have no hosepipe bans currently in place across our region, and we’re working hard to keep it that way. But we’re watching river levels very closely right now, as things can change quickly and the forecast for this month remains dry and warm.

“Protecting the environment is as important to us as conserving our customers’ water supply.

“It’s why we invest millions every year fixing leaks and planning for a drier future, because we know there’s going to be more people here, but fewer raindrops to go round.

“It’s also why we’re urging people to step up and save water now to make sure we have enough for us and the environment today, tomorrow, next month and next summer. If this coming winter is as dry as last year, we will be in a much more serious position come spring.”

Cambridgeshire’s average annual rainfall is 583mm, making it one of the driest counties in the country – and drier than Barcelona. But provisional Met Office data shows Cambridge was one of 10 places in the country where less than 250mm of rain has fallen since November. The 223mm recorded was just 51 per cent of the 437mm that would be expected in nine months.

The Wildlife Trusts has called for an England-wide hosepipe ban to protect nature and rivers.

And Cam Valley Forum, a voluntary group, is aghast that the region’s water companies have so far failed to introduce them here.

“It is imprudent and silly to do otherwise,” said chairman Stephen Tomkins. “All my washing up water and bathwater is going onto the garden. It is high time to conserve water for environmental reasons.”

The group is also urging political leaders, water companies and the Environment Agency to ensure that the tens of thousands of new homes being built in the region are not reliant on groundwater supplies, which lowers the water table and impacts our internationally-important chalk streams.

New reservoirs and a pipeline bringing water from further north are planned by Anglian Water, but remain years away. In the meantime, both Cambridge Water and Anglian Water have said they have reduced the amount being abstracted in line with Environment Agency regulations.

“Once river levels drop to a certain point – called the ‘hands-off flow’ – we must reduce the volume of water we take from the environment to ensure these levels do not drop any further,” said a Cambridge Water spokesperson.

“These hands-off flows are currently in place and we have reduced the volume of water we take from our sources in line with these requirements. At the same time, our overall abstraction licences allow us to abstract sufficient water to meet current demands and we have adequate supplies to do so.”

The spokesperson added that Cambridge Water had recently completed the latest annual review of its 25-year water resources management plan and concluded that “growth in our operating area is in line with our projections”.

“We are currently preparing our next Water Resources Management Plan, which will be published in October 2022 and which will include updated population growth figures, aligned to local development plans,” said the spokesperson.

On Thursday, as temperatures soared to 32C, some households in Linton and Willingham were without water due to faults that Cambridge Water investigated.

Haddenham and Wilburton, supplied by Anglian Water, were without water on Thursday and into Friday morning due to mains leaks.