Major UK water supplier warns hosepipe ban may last until WINTER in blow to over 6million customers

A HOSEPIPE ban that is currently enforced for over six million Brits could last until winter, a major water supplier has warned. The water company first introduced restrictions in July, but significantly more rain is needed to replenish water supplies. A hosepipe ban enforced by Anglian Water may last until the end of the year, officials warn Credit: Getty Anglian Water has told councillors that a temporary use ban for its customers is “not going to be stopping anytime soon.” Prolonged dry weather has left over six million of the water company’s customers under restrictions for over two months. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Earlier this week, at a Norfolk County Council meeting Grant Tufts from Anglian Water told councillors that the hosepipe ban could even continue untilwinter. Tufts reportedly said: “I can’t give you a date but it’s going to be well into the autumn, maybe even the winter”. “I think we need several more downpours and consistent rain to recharge those supplies,” he continued. Anglian Water supplies drinking and wastewater services to swathes of the East of England, including parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex. According to the water company, water use dropped by around nine per cent when restrictions were introduced, making a “real difference at a time when most of our region is in drought“. Under a temporary use ban, customers cannot use a hosepipe, sprinkler or pressure washer for various activities, with anyone caught breaking the rules at risk of facing a £1,000 fine. Most read in The Sun Full list of locations covered by Anglian Water's hosepipe ban These areas have been under hosepipe ban restrictions since Saturday, July 11: Bedford Boston Bury St. Edmunds Cambridge Chelmsford Colchester Felixstowe Great Yarmouth Grimsby Harlow Hertford Ipswich King’s Lynn Lincoln Lowestoft Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Norwich Nottingham Peterborough Rutland Southend-on-Sea Wisbech Recently, a spokesperson for Thames Water also suggested that its restrictions were set to stay in place until the end of the year for its over 10million drinking water customers. Hosepipe bans by other companies in the East of England, including Thames Water, Cambridge Water, and Essex and Suffolk Water, still remain in place. Comment now