No hosepipe ban in the offing, promises Anglian Water

Anglian Water has assured customers that there will be no hosepipe ban or other water restrictions this summer.

But that bold promise has come with a plea to customers - everyone needs to save water to ensure a constant supply.

Anglian Water’s managing director says its reservoirs are 90 per cent full, and he wants to reassure householders that a �50m spend over the last 20 years has improved its water supplies.

“Despite our strong position, we must not be complacent,” said Peter Simpson. “We are calling on everyone living in the East of England to help us make sure our water supplies are secure for the future.

“We are re-doubling our efforts to promote water efficiency, and would strongly encourage everyone to think carefully about how much water they use. We want four out of every homes to have a meter fitted by 2015.” The last hosepipe ban was in 1991.

But while things are looking settled for water supplies, the county’s firefighters have been kept busy recently, with several grass and vegetation fires across the county.

“Dry and windy conditions have made the Cambridgeshire countryside particularly vulnerable to accidental fires,” said a spokesman.

“Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding residents to remain careful when they are out and about. A flicked cigarette from a car window, a barbecue which sets fire to a hedge, or a bonfire left unattended could start a blaze that destroys acres of countryside, crops or wildlife.”

Ely’s amateur weather man Gerald Rolfe says that the months of March, April and May together produced only around 19mm of rain - including the Bank Holiday downpour - compared with a normal average of 150mm.

“I have never known such a dry period; I have been tracking the weather since I came to the city 40 years ago,” he said.

“Rainfall figures from Stretham Pumping Engine show that this March and April were the driest for 163 years.”