Britain’s biggest water supplier warns hosepipe ban will last until end of YEAR in blow to over 10million customers

BRITAIN’S largest water company has warned that more than 10 million Brits can expect hosepipe ban restrictions until the end of the year. Bosses have said that the measures are necessary to “protect the environment”, and could remain in place for months. Thames Water could maintain hosepipe ban restrictions until the end of the year, bosses have said Credit: Getty Hosepipe ban restrictions enforced by Thames Water are set to stay in place until the end of the year. The news comes after weeks of record-breaking hot and dry weather conditions, with nearly three-quarters of England in drought conditions, including London. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Nevil Muncaster, strategic water resources director at the firm, told Times Radio that there had been a “huge demand on top of our normal supplies” for water. When asked at what point the restrictions will end, Muncaster said: “I think realistically it’s going to be towards the end of the year before that comes off. “That’s something we need to make sure we do, just to protect the environment.” For Thames Water, Muncaster said they could remove the ban “once we get a recovery in our systems” and that “clearly it’s still dry”. “The Environment Agency forecast is that it will be drier than normal for the next few months, but we’ll wait and see.” More than 10 million of Thames Water’s drinking water customers currently face hosepipe restrictions after a ban was introduced in late July. Most read in The Sun Restrictions mean that a hosepipe, sprinkler, or pressure washer cannot be used for a various activities, such as watering plants, or filling up hot tubs. Another nine water companies have introduced restrictions in recent months, including Wessex Water, who announced a ban for over one million customers for the first time since 1976 on Tuesday. Comment now