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Hosepipe bans are to be lifted tomorrow for Thames Water, Anglian Water and Southern Water customers.
Record rainfall since the restrictions were imposed on 5 April has boosted surface water supplies and suppressed demand.
However, the Environment Agency is warning depleted groundwater resources will take longer to recover from the preceding two dry winters. Six aquifers in England remain “exceptionally low”.
South East Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Veolia Water Central and Veolia Water Southeast are keeping temporary use restrictions in place.
Paul Butler, managing director of South East Water, said: “We understand that customers could be confused and frustrated as to why some companies are considering lifting restrictions, while we have to keep ours in place. The fact is the amount of water currently available in our underground reserves simply doesn’t support that course of action, and ahead of what could be much warmer, drier months.
“South East Water gets 75 per cent of the water it supplies from underground supplies, which are very low – some are approaching levels that we’ve never seen before. Conversely other companies get the majority of water supplies from rivers or reservoirs which responded well to all the early spring rainfall.”
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