UK imposes partial hosepipe ban ahead of expected heat wave

LONDON

A hosepipe ban will be implemented across parts of the UK on Friday following warnings of a heatwave and growing fears of drought.

Starting 5 p.m. (1600GMT), people in southern areas of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex will be prohibited from using hosepipes to water gardens or plants, clean cars, patios, walls and windows, or fill up pools and ponds.

“We haven’t taken this decision lightly, and we know the temporary use ban will have an impact on our customers,” said Alison Hoyle, director of risk and compliance at Southern Water, the company responsible for water distribution in the country’s south.

The ban comes as a new heat wave is expected to push temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming week, with the Met Office warning of “very little meaningful rain.”

July shattered the record for the UK’s hottest month as temperatures soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest since records began in 1836.