The actions we take to manage our water supplies should minimise the impact of drought conditions. We will also ask you to help us – for example, by using less water in your homes, gardens, and outdoor spaces or by reporting any leaks you see in your local area, so that we can fix them quickly.

If a dry spell goes on for a long time, we will consider introducing tougher restrictions to help us manage the demand for water, which would be the result of a particular drought trigger being reached. We would make any decision to introduce restrictions in consultation with the Environment Agency and with Severn Trent Water. This is so we can be sure our messages are communicated in a consistent way across the region.

A drought is a naturally occurring event resulting from less than expected rainfall over a prolonged period of time, and every drought is different. Droughts can impact the environment, businesses and water supplies.

We use a wide range of data sources to monitor for drought. These include:

• Hydrological data, which is data about water systems within an area or region
• Data from the Met Office about changes in prevailing weather conditions
• Data on groundwater levels, water recharge and storage.

Our reservoir levels are the main indicator of drought conditions. They help to guide the actions we take to maintain your water supplies. But we also look at river flow and rainfall patterns.

Every five years, we prepare, consult on, and publish a drought plan on how we will manage our water resources during dry years. This is so we can make sure essential public water supplies are maintained. Further information on the steps we would take in the event of a lengthy period of dry weather and prolonged lack of rainfall can be found in our drought plan.

A temporary use ban (sometimes called a hosepipe ban) is a restriction on using a hosepipe for domestic non-essential activities that due to high water consumption, can put further stress on water supplies. Introducing a TUB helps to manage water supplies, during a period of extended drought.

We follow the Environment Agency’s guidance when developing our drought plan, and the trigger levels and indicators of the severity of a drought. The triggers inform drought actions, including the introduction of a temporary use ban, and other supply and demand management actions. Our drought triggers reflect a range of environmental and weather conditions, as well as impacts on our water resources. They have evolved over time and are reviewed at least every 5 years.

We consider introducing a TUB when lack of rainfall or recharge has an impact on our water resources and reservoir levels. Prior to introducing a TUB, we will use other methods to encourage reduced water consumption voluntarily. If a drought worsens, or becomes extended, we may need to consider further restriction on non-essential water use in other areas. Find out more about our drought triggers.

The last time we introduced a temporary use ban was during the drought of 1976, which seriously affected water levels in the River Severn.

If we had to introduce a temporary use ban, activities such as the following may not be allowed:

• Using a hosepipe to water a garden, water plants or to wash a car 
• Using a hosepipe for recreational use, or to fill a garden pond
• Using a hosepipe to clean paths, patios or other artificial outdoor surfaces
• Using a hosepipe to clean the walls or windows of household premises
• Using a hosepipe to clean private leisure boats or caravans
• Filling or maintaining a swimming pool or paddling pool
• Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain.

A temporary use ban would affect different people in different ways. We make a number of standard exemptions to the ban, such as for Blue Badge holders, and can make further standard exemptions for specific activities, for example if there is a need to maintain a pond that contains fish.

We encourage customers with a medical condition or a disability, and who may need to use extra water, to sign up for our Priority Services Register. This ensures that they receive the support they need from us.

We would follow a strict process and timetable when introducing a temporary use ban. This is because we know it can have a far-reaching effect on customers. The aim is to make sure we communicate every stage of the process clearly, so that customers understand what is happening.

We understand how important it is to keep you informed before, during and after a drought. We will use all the communications channels available to us, including:

• Our website and social media
• TV and radio
• Newspapers

How frequently we would communicate with you would depend on the urgency of the situation. We would always aim to:

• Make you aware of the developing situation
• Make you aware of the measures we are planning to put in place and how they will affect you
• Raise awareness of the need to reduce water demand and to use water wisely.

The actions we take to manage our water supplies should minimise the impact of drought conditions. We will also ask you to help us – for example, by using less water in your homes, gardens, and outdoor spaces or by reporting any leaks you see in your local area, so that we can fix them quickly.

If a dry spell goes on for a long time, we will consider introducing tougher restrictions to help us manage the demand for water, which would be the result of a particular drought trigger being reached. We would make any decision to introduce restrictions in consultation with the Environment Agency and with Severn Trent Water. This is so we can be sure our messages are communicated in a consistent way across the region.

We will only consider increasing the volume of water we take from the environment in a drought that is the most severe ever recorded. While we aim to maintain supplies in a drought, we will also do everything we can to minimise the impact of our actions on the environment.

We are legally required to monitor the effect of a drought and the measures taken under our drought plan. We also have to monitor the impact of the actions we take and how well we recover following a period of drought. We communicate regularly with the Environment Agency and Natural England as part of our monitoring process.

• We regularly monitor rainfall levels against historic records. We also collect data each week on the levels of moisture in the soil and rainfall data from the Met Office
• We record how much water we take from the environment and put into our supply network
• We collect data each day on our operations at Blithfield Reservoir and continuously measure water levels at Chelmarsh Reservoir
• We monitor long-term groundwater trends each month
• We review data on river flows from the Environment Agency each day. This helps us to manage the volume of water we take from the River Blithe and River Trent
• We review data from the Environment Agency on the Clywedog Reservoir and Lake Vyrnwy
• We review data from the Environment Agency on water flows and ecology as required
• We carry out additional monitoring at key operational sites as required.

Saving water benefits everyone. Every day, we each use around 130 litres of water – or enough to fill one and a half baths. In comparison, our great grandparents probably only used around 18 litres of water each a day.  When it is hot and dry, water-using activities can increase the demand for water by over 25%, and this can mostly be reduced by thinking carefully about using water wisely in the home and garden.

Although there are many factors that have increased our water use over time, it is important that everyone plays their part and uses water wisely. Find out how you can save water at home, in the garden, and at work.

We encourage our customers to use water wisely all year round. During periods of high demand, which often occurs during the drier, summer months, we ask customers to be mindful of their water use.

Making small changes can make a big difference and ensures that there's enough water for everyone for the essential things.

We would work closely with the Environment Agency to decide when we could declare a drought is over. We understand the impact temporary use bans can have on you and are committed to lifting any restrictions as soon as we are able to.

We would expect a drought to have ended when all our key indicators have returned to long-term average levels. This means the risk of impacts from the drought are no greater than they are during a normal year, and where normal conditions have returned for a period of time.