Hosepipe ban remains despite heavy rainfall

The hosepipe ban is expected to remain until winter

A hosepipe ban will remain in force across Yorkshire despite recent heavy rainfall, the region's water company has said.

The ban, which stops people using hosepipes for activities such as watering the garden, washing the car or filling a paddling pool, was brought in amid an extended spell of very hot, dry weather across England.

Dave Kaye, from Yorkshire Water, said although rain at the weekend was "very welcome" it was "not going to improve things to a level where reservoir stocks recover".

Previously, the company's chief executive said restrictions, which apply to customers across much of Yorkshire, parts of North Lincolnshire and parts of Derbyshire, were expected to remain until winter.

When the hosepipe ban was announced earlier this month, Yorkshire Water said reservoir levels stood at just over 50% - a record low for the time of the year and "significantly below" the average for early July, which is nearer 80%.

Mr Kaye said some parts of the region experienced more than 20mm of rain (0.8in) over Saturday and Sunday, which had helped slow the weekly decline of reservoirs.

However, he added: "We've had five months of below long-term average rainfall in Yorkshire, so one weekend is not going to improve things to a level where reservoir stocks recover, as we continue to supply more than 1.2bn litres of water to customers every day.

"Crucially the rain has also replenished rivers and groundwater, meaning we can increase our abstraction from rivers and groundwater to reduce pressure on reservoirs."

"Despite the rain over the weekend and early part of this week, the hosepipe restrictions remain in place in our region."