Hosepipe ban stays in force

OLDHAM residents are being reminded that the hosepipe ban remains in force despite heavy rain on Wednesday night.

United Utilities imposed the ban across the North-West on July 9, with the exception of customers in Carlisle, Allerdale, Copeland and the north Eden Valley, where supplies are at reasonable levels.

It has been the driest spell since United Utilities records began 74 years ago, with only half the usual amount of rainfall.

The ban restricts the use of hosepipes or sprinklers for watering private gardens and washing private cars, with fines of up to £1,000 for anyone caught flouting the ban.

A United Utilities spokesman said that while the recent rainfall was welcome, more sustained rainfall was needed before reservoir levels recovered.

He said: “This rain is starting to re-wet the ground that has completely dried out due to the very low rainfall in the past seven months.

“More rain is needed and we will then see the rainfall running off into reservoirs rather than just been soaked up by the parched soil and moorland vegetation.

“There has been more rainfall in Cumbria than elsewhere.

“This has raised lake levels and river flows sufficiently to enable pumping to re-start at our pumping stations at Windermere and Ullswater for the first time since Easter.

“This is helping stabilise reservoir levels at Thirlmere and Haweswater reservoirs in the Lake District.

“We are monitoring the reservoir levels on a daily basis and we will lift the hosepipe ban as soon as levels recover towards normal.”