Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban lifted for millions in parts of UK after record-breaking rainy end to autumn

A hosepipe ban affecting over five million people in Yorkshire has now been lifted with immediate effect following a record-breaking rainy end to the autumn, Yorkshire Water has said. The restrictions in Yorkshire were introduced in July after the driest spring in 132 years, when only 15cm of rain fell between February and June - less than half that expected in an average year.

The summer was later confirmed as the hottest on record. But Met Office analysis found northern England had gone on to experience its fifth wettest November since 1836, external, with rainfall 84% above average in the north east of the region.

Yorkshire Water thanked people for helping to cut water use by about 10% per day at the start of the ban. At their lowest point during the summer, reservoirs in Yorkshire were only 30% full, and could have dropped to 17% without the hosepipe ban.

However, reservoir levels in Yorkshire now stood at 91.6% of capacity, while Hull aquifer levels were at 77%, they explained. Customers adhering to the hosepipe ban had helped to save the equivalent of 33 days of average water usage in Sheffield or 21 days of average usage in Leeds, the company said.

This year's hosepipe ban was the second in three years to be introduced by Yorkshire Water after similar weather conditions in 2022. The company said it could build a new reservoir as part of a strategy to manage future shortages.