'˜Will the hosepipe ban lower my water bills?'

The hosepipe ban, which will take effect on August 5, was announced by United Utilities to combat water shortages following a month-long heatwave.

But figures from the Consumer Council for Water show that United Utilities let more than 175 Olympic-sized swimming pools’ worth of water go down the plug hole every single day.

The latest leakage figures, provided by the Consumer Council for Water, show that 439,200,000 litres of treated water are wasted in United Utilities’ area each day.

Martin Padley, United Utilities Water Services Director, said: "Despite some recent rainfall, reservoir levels are still lower than we would expect at this time of year and, with forecasters predicting a return to hot dry weather for the rest of July, we are now at a point where we will need to impose some temporary restrictions on customers.

"It is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are enormously grateful to customers for having helped reduce the demand on our network over the last couple of weeks, but unless we get a period of sustained rainfall before 5 August these restrictions will help us safeguard essential water supplies for longer."

Here's what you had to say on social media:And it’s suddenly our fault for wanting to use what we pay for??

Margaret Heaps

You cannot waste water, you can only waste the means to transport and store it.

Ian Upton

Some of the water mains are over a hundred years old, the company are doing their best to fix them

David Jones

There is one on the corner of Hampson Avenue, Clayton-Le-Woods it’s been leaking at least four years to my knowledge. It’s been reported numerous times but has never been fixed

Maragaret Marginson

Might help matters, if United Utilities didn’t sell off the land and the smaller reservoirs for new housing

David Martin

Took someone in Darwen area to have an accident in winter on ice for them to fix a leak.

Deborah Tull

Why is it that the North West is recorded as being the wettest region in England yet we are the first to have a hosepipe ban ?

Maureen Moss

There’s a leak on Longmeanygate that’s been going for over 12 months.

Russ Waring

They don’t fix leaking pipes properly anyway all they do is turn the pressure down it’s a joke! All they say it only has to come out the tap not upstairs.

Lee Pitblado

If there’s a reduction of water due to hosepipe ban there’s got to be a reduction on next years bill’s. I’m using mine I paid for it

Susan Spencer

And people like you are the reason we have a ban. Selfish. What about the millions of litres they have used to put out the major fire on Winter Hill? Why should our bills be reduced when we have firefighters out there protecting us like that...

Katherine Simpson

The privatised water utilities paid 95 per cent of their profits — or £18.1bn — to shareholders between 2007 and 2016, instead of reinvesting the money in their networks.

Martin Stringfellow

Will our bills be reduced now that we cannot have full use of our water?

Paul Smillie