Stay water wise: reservoir levels are still low

18 June 2010

We need people to keep taking care with their water usage, because reservoir levels are still lower than they should be.

We would normally expect our reservoirs to be around 80% full at this time of year. But in north and west Cumbria they are approximately 68.2% full, at Haweswater and Thirlmere levels are approximately 61.4%, in our Pennines reservoirs levels are 65.4% and in North Wales they are 85.9%

The reason for this is because we've had the driest January to May period since our rainfall records began 74 years ago.

Here at United Utilites we are doing everything we can. We are following our drought plan which at this stage involves moving water around our integrated network to balance supplies across the region.

But we also need our customers to think about their water usage and use water wisely. You may have seen some of the press adverts or heard our radio campaign reminding people about conserving water.

United Utilities' John Sanders said: "If the drier than average weather continues this summer we will need to consider drought permit applications to temporarily allow increased abstraction of water from lakes and rivers. Similarly, we can't rule out the prospect of a hosepipe ban - it's 14 years since we last had one in the North West."

To find out what you can do to save water, take a look at the using water wisely section. There are loads of tips and advice and you can apply online for a free water savers pack which includes a save-a-flush device for your toilet cistern. 

And if you spot a leak, let us know. We're also asking customers to use our free leakline number 0800 33 00 33 to report any leaks or report a leak online so that we can fix them as quickly as possible.