The first hosepipe ban of the year has come into effect after England suffered its driest spring in more than a century.
Householders in Yorkshire, which has been declared “in drought”, are barred from using hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, fill hot tubs and paddling pools and clean outdoor surfaces.
Anyone breaching the ban, which is legally enforcable, may be fined £1,000.
Yorkshire Water said the region had had both the driest and warmest spring on record this year, receiving just 15cm of rainfall between February and June – less than half the level expected in an average year.
Demand for water had also been higher than usual, the company said, leaving reservoirs at 55.8 per cent full, which is 26.1 per cent lower than normal.
Exceptions include using a hosepipe to clean animals – although Yorkshire Water urged customers to be “as efficient as possible” when doing so – and filling their drinking troughs.
Yorkshire’s 5.5 million households may still also wash their cars and water their gardens by filling a bucket or watering can, and businesses may use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.
The company said it had tried everything possible to avoid a ban, adding: “With more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks, it is likely our stocks will continue to fall, so we need to act now to maintain clean water supplies and long-term river health.”
Environment Agency chiefs warned last month that England faces water shortages of five billion litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to cut leaks, curb use and build new reservoirs.
The government announced in May it was fast-tracking the building of new reservoirs in East Anglia and Lincolnshire.
North-west England is also in drought, and in both areas, farmers are struggling to grow crops because the ground is so dry.
Water companies across England say substantial rain is needed.
Last month Thames Water bosses said they were not confident they could avoid restrictions for their 16 million customers this summer.
The Met Office says spring broke historical climate records, marking an unprecedented season of warmth and sunshine across the UK.
Forecasters say temperatures of more than 30C are expected to peak over the weekend, and the heatwave is expected to be longer lived and extend further north and west into a larger part of the UK than previously this summer.
