This is how drought is affecting Lancashire - and what United Utilities said about a hose pipe ban

Bosses at Brockholes Nature Reserve near Preston have issued pictures of their Meadow Lake - in the centre of the site and which the visitor centre floats on - at a historic low. The pictures show a member of staff venturing into the lake and walking where water would usually be abundant.

Matthew Swift, marketing officer at Brockholes, said: “Despite the extremely dry weather conditions we have experienced recently and considerably low water levels in Meadow Lake, oxygen levels are doing okay and the reserve team are actively monitoring this all the time. As a result, the current situation isn't a huge threat, however we currently have volunteers on hand should the situation change.”

The pictures come after The National Drought Group met and defined the current water shortfall situation in England as a “nationally significant incident.” Five areas - Lancashire, Merseyside & Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and East and West Midlands, are officially in drought, with six more experiencing prolonged dry weather following the driest six months to July since 1976.

In the North West, regional reservoir levels stand at 59 per cent compared to an average of 73 per cent for the time of year.

Hose pipe ban?

Yorkshire Water has a Temporary Usage Ban (TUB aka hosepipe ban) in place for all its customers. Thames, South East Water, and Southern Water have postcode-specific bans. When asked if United Utilities - the North West’s water supply company - would be following suit, they did not give a clear answer.

Instead, they said they were asking customers to play their part as demand for water significantly increases during warmer periods with customers typically using an extra 70 million litres of water a day.

They said: “To help save water and detect leaks, the company has been offering customers free home water efficiency audits in some parts of Greater Manchester and the Pennines with more than 3,700 audits already booked in. The company has also delivered more than 7,000 household and non-household water efficiency audits including several farm audits and is engaging with Network Rail and schools across the region to promote water efficiency.

“Thanks to customer support, United Utilities has continued to find and fix leaks with a 200 per cent increase in leakage reporting by the public in the last 90 days, with teams working around the clock to find and fix more than 800 leaks a week.

“Grant Batty, Water Services Director at United Utilities, said: “We want to thank our customers for everything they have been doing to help protect water supplies and we’re asking them to continue to do their bit.

“Seventy four per cent of customers are aware of the impact of dry weather on water resources, and we have seen a fantastic response from customers with increased leak reporting and a reduction in demand. In some areas we’ve seen a great response to free home water audits, which helps customers to take practical steps such as fixing leaky loos to save water and money on their bills.

“We are working hard to carefully manage our water resources through our vast integrated network of pipes to move water around from one part of the region to another, where it is needed and will continue to monitor the situation daily to ensure we manage and balance the water needs of people and the environment in the best possible way.”

Water efficiency audits can be booked at Free water saving visits | United Utilities and tips on how to save water at home and in the garden are available at Reduce your water bill.