Southern Water says that the risk of a hosepipe ban has been reduced thanks to the River Test catchment area seeing around 175% of long term average rainfall in August.
In August, the water supply company announced the possible need for a drought permit for the River Test to allow them to continue abstracting water to supply customers across the region, while protecting the river and environment.
A significant amount of rainfall in the last 2 weeks of August has removed the previous need to submit a drought permit application. The river flow has held up through September to date such that the risk of needing to apply has now moved into the second half of October.
If a permit is approved, Southern Water then must take the decision if and when they should implement it. This means they would also be asking customers across the Isle of Wight to be extra vigilant with their water use. Temporary Use Bans (hosepipe bans) may need to be imposed in advance of a permit application and/or after its implementation if a permit is granted.
Maybe the Water board should try to do a better job of fixing leaks properly first, before they start talking about hosepipe bans!! There’s one I go past nearly every day & it’s always got a dribble of water seeping out of it!!
Have you phoned the water board and reported this leak? I agree, the amount of water lost through leaks is vast.