Important information in your area

June 2025

“The Met Office is forecasting a big rise in temperatures over the next few days. When it’s hot, we all use more water - to stay cool, stay hydrated or water plants and sports pitches.

But when lots of people use water at the same time, it puts pressure on our network. Water gets used faster than we can refill our storage tanks and pump through the pipes - and this can lead to lower water pressure in your area.

We need your help to use water wisely this summer - small changes make a big difference. Let’s keep the water flowing for everyone.

What can you do to help?

There are a few simple things that you can do that will have a massive impact on your water supply:

• Avoid using irrigation systems or sprinklers to water sports pitches, golf courses or gardens.
• Stop urinals running overnight when not required.
• Check for leaks on your network.

What we’re doing to help

When demand is high, we keep our storage tanks topped up and run our pumps at full capacity. We’ve also upgraded parts of our network so we can move water around more efficiently and get it where it’s needed most.

If you’re experiencing low water pressure, please see our alerts page to see which areas are currently affected.

June 2025

"Water levels in reservoirs have fallen to an average of 77% this week, 13% below the average for this time of year and 16% below levels this time last year. Scottish Water is continuously monitoring the levels of storage throughout the country to maintain supplies. Although demand for water has reduced by about 60 million litres per day after our request last week, it is still at elevated levels.

"There is some rain forecast for this coming weekend however, it will take a sustained period of rain to recover to normal levels. In the meantime Scottish Water is working to ensure it can maintain public water supply to customers in parts of the country affected by increased peak water use and is using tankers to supplement normal water supplies in some areas such as: Gullane, Aberlady in East Lothian; areas north of Aberdeen such as Potterton, Middleton Park, and Belhelvie; Maybole, Turnberry and Maidens in South Ayrshire; Kippen and Balfron in west Stirlingshire; and the Strathpeffer area in Ross-shire. We are also taking other action in some parts of the country, including supplementing borehole supplies from the River Spey by pumping water directly from the river to maintain normal supplies in Moray.

"Alex Plant, Scottish Water’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re working hard to maintain normal supplies for all customers and would ask that they use water efficiently to protect this precious resource. “Scotland’s climate is clearly changing and, as a country, we need to ensure we adapt both by investing appropriately in water infrastructure, which Scottish Water is doing, and ensuring we do what we can to use water more efficiently in our homes and businesses."

June 2025

“As you are no doubt aware, we, along with many other wholesalers, are heading into a particularly challenging summer. We've just had the driest spring in decades, and demand for water has been higher than ever before, reaching 635 million litres of water in one day alone! Because of this, all regions across our supply area are now in amber alert. We are therefore asking retailers and end users to help us to reduce non-essential water use to ensure the taps keep flowing for everyone.

Demand for water over the past week has risen from near-average levels of 577 megalitres per day, to 629 megalitres yesterday (17th June). This is expected to increase further as we head into the weekend.

For further information, please visit the 'Water Latest' section on our website

In addition to the above, South East Water publishes weekly updates on the levels of our two largest reservoirs at Ardingly and Arlighton, which you may find useful when handling queries relating to available water resources.

Please visit Reservoir levels"

June 2025

“This spring has been the driest in over 100 years. Despite recent rain, we’ve had less than half the usual rainfall over the past six months. This prolonged dry spell has impacted our local chalk streams, the Rivers Test and Itchen, which supply most of your water and support some of the world’s rarest habitats.

Although early June brought showers, after such a dry spring, the rain hasn’t been enough. Dry ground can’t absorb water well, so most of it runs off instead of refilling underground sources.

To protect these precious rivers, we’ve agreed to reduce how much water we take from them – meaning there’s less to go around. If river levels keep dropping, we may need to bring in hosepipe bans or stop using these streams altogether.

How you can help:

• Educate your employees on the importance and practices of water efficiency. Try and set water usage targets and encourage widespread involvement to achieve this!
• Check for leaking pipes. You can help save water by checking for leaking pipes inside your property and fixing dripping taps. Use dual flush toilets instead of the older style ‘pull’ chain systems. Swap standard tap valves for low flow aerators or pre-rinse valves on your pot wash.
• Be in control. If your building doesn’t have any urinal controls, during a 40-hour week, 75% of flushing occurs when no-one is even there. At around £500 per year per urinal, you’re literally flushing money down the pan!
• Let your lawn go gold. Water recreational space, gardens and plants only if necessary and where possible, with harvested rainwater.
• Wash vehicles wisely! Businesses with fleet vehicles should consider washing their vehicles if they are genuinely dirty and impacting its functionality or safety (e.g., obscured visibility). Also consider using water-efficient methods like water recycling systems or switching to waterless cleaning products.
• Protect the environment. Reducing the amount of water you use overall helps protect the water sources used in supply, while cutting the energy needed for the treating and pumping of it.

What we're doing:

• We’ve had a record-breaking year for finding and fixing leaks – and we’re not stopping there. Our teams are out every day using new technology to track down and repair leaks faster than ever before. If you spot a leak while you’re out and about, please let us know! And if you think you might have one at home, we’ve got a list of trusted, approved plumbers who can help.
• Inspiring the next generation – Through our New Wave education programme, we’re teaching young people about the importance of saving water, helping them become future water champions.
• Rolling out smart meters – Later this year we’ll be rolling out smart meters to give you a clear picture of your water use, making it easier to save water and money.
• Creating new water sources – From building new reservoirs and recycling plants to laying vital new pipelines, we’re investing in long-term solutions to keep water flowing for generations to come.

Thanks for being part of the effort to protect our rivers and keep water flowing this summer. Together, we can make a big difference, one small change at a time!”

June 2025

“Due to a dry May (23mm rain, 42% LTA) there is an increased risk with our water resource position. The soil moisture deficit is now significantly drier than average. Groundwater levels at most sites are normal but below normal in the Cotswold Great Oolite. River flows are below average for the time of year. As a result of an internal drought risk assessment, we are remaining at Drought Event Level 1 (DEL1).

The severity of the current situation is similar to the situation in 2022 at this time in the year, though there are differences in the sources of risk. Groundwater levels are generally higher (due to a wetter winter) than in 2022, but we have seen a drier spring than in 2022.The level of risk is currently higher in SWOX than in London. If we experience a hot/dry summer, then we expect to see significant reservoir drawdown in both London and Farmoor. We would not expect to need temporary use bans to be implemented until late July or early August, unless it is exceptionally dry. If reservoir levels in London decline, there is no need to panic. Due to the dry spring, we should expect to see reservoir levels decline. We will monitor when, and how quickly, levels decline.”

June 2025

"We are writing to provide an update on our water resources situation, as you’ll be aware, we have been experiencing a prolonged period of dry, warm weather across the region and it has been the driest Spring since the 1950’s. Water levels in the North West’s rivers, lakes, groundwaters and reservoirs are currently lower than average for this time of year. We’ve continued to see the risk of wildfires across our region and other sectors, like agriculture and growers, are struggling with the dry ground conditions.

"There are a number of actions we are taking to help safeguard water supplies and protect the environment. To help encourage reductions in water use, we will be sending some direct communications to business customers (please see copies attached) and increasing our messaging through normal media channels, urging people to act now.

"During the warm weather, our teams have been cleaning and putting more water into supply to match the demand for it. At times, the extra water being used is equivalent to supplying a town the size of Blackpool and the Fylde coast area. Our water resources team and hydrologists are monitoring the situation daily, to ensure we manage and balance this demand in the best possible way.

"Our well tested plans include using our vast integrated network of pipes to move water around from one part of the region to another, where it is needed. Customers in some areas may notice some slight changes in the taste of their water as we move water around. While this may be a bit different, customers should be reassured that their tap water will continue to meet all stringent water quality requirements.

"We have also begun reducing water pressures in some areas. This is being done in line with BAU pressure management levels, and we are taking great care to ensure that sensitive customers are not affected. If any of your customers experience supply issues, please direct them to contact us on 0345 075 0713.

"We will have brought around a further 75 million litres of water each day into the system by the end of the month from sources that have existing abstraction licences. 

"We continue to find and fix leaks as quickly as possible, a task made even more challenging by the dry weather. As the ground dries out, it moves and this can cause some of our water pipes to shift and leak. Last week we fixed 900 leaks, more than we have ever repaired before in that timescale and we are at our lowest ever level of leakage. Since our last email explaining how dry it has been, we’ve seen a fantastic response and the number of leaks reported to us has significantly increased. We encourage everyone to report any leaks to us via our app, website or by calling 0345 672 3723.

"We have been sharing updates over the past few weeks and continue to urge everyone to act now and do all that they can to reduce the amount of water used, helping to manage the impact on their local environment and, in turn, if on a meter, saving money on both water and energy.

"Since April, we:

• have sent targeted information to more than 550,000 households and businesses in hotspot areas where demand was high;
• have sent over 2 million emails to customers across the region to ask for support in saving water where they can;
• contacted more than 160,000 households where we can see water usage has increased and could be due to a leak;
• switched daily messages on the regional ITV weather sponsorship to water saving information, reaching 4.2 million adults in the North West;
• are promoting water saving messages through On Demand TV, reaching 2 million people;
• are running daily information across commercial radio stations and have taken part in local BBC radio shows;
• have included messages in regional newspapers, with a combined readership of over 800,000;
• are using digital and all our social media channels to share our information and advice;
• have contacted youth groups across the Northwest; and
• are sharing our information with partner organisations across the region, including asking for the support of our supply chain in ensuring water is being used carefully across all operations.

"With some rain in the forecast, this may mean demand reduces and people may be tempted to think saving water won’t be needed. However, we need a few weeks of rainfall to help reservoirs recover to normal levels for this time of year so we are asking people to use less water where they can.

"We are working collaboratively with colleagues in Yorkshire Water to spread the messages about the impact of the dry weather, highlighted in particular by a spate of moorland fires on both sides of the Pennines.

"Thank you for helping us to save water."

June 2025

"Reservoir and groundwater levels in our region remain within an acceptable range after the wet winter. That said, we always encourage customers to use water responsibly to protect resources and the environment.

"Whilst we are not expecting any water supply issues this summer, we have implemented our usual customer communication and water efficiency plans, as well as taking proactive steps to manage our supply network during the dry weather.

"Please see our website for our water resources monthly updates."