NI to come under hosepipe ban

Water companies are asking customers to conserve supplies as Britain continues to bask in a heatwave.

Northern Ireland Water will introduce a hosepipe ban from this weekend to stop any interruptions to supplies.

The hot weather is expected to last with the sun set to shine into the weekend across most of the UK, as water companies said usage had been "significantly more'' than normal.

NI Water chief executive Sara Venning said the company was appealing to customers to stop non-essential use, as hoses and sprinklers were causing strain on supplies.

She said: "In recent days our treatment works have been operating at near maximum levels with over 700 million litres of water being put into the network, which is some 25% more than is normal for this time of the year.

"Despite these steps, demand continues to outstrip supply.

"It would be our intention to introduce a formal hose pipe ban in an effort to protect the public against the increased threat of supply interruptions.''

Huge spikes in demand for water at mornings and evening peak times mean utility companies are having to pump billions more litres of water into the system, but they say it is often being used by customers as fast as it is supplied.

Advice on how to save water has been widely transmitted and is available on the company website.

NI Water’s top ten water saving tips include:

• Take shorter showers - Why not challenge yourself and your family to shower one minute quicker? In a year you could save up to 10,000 litres of water! Take a shower instead of a bath - One bath can use up to 100 litres of water, whereas an efficient shower uses under 50 litres. But remember power showers can use more water than baths.
• Car washing - Avoid washing cars and vans during this time.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth - A running tap can use 6 litres of water per minute.
• Lawns are great survivors - a sprinkler can use as much as 1,000 litres of clean drinking water in a single hour; more than a family of four would use in a whole day. Even when they look dry and brown, they’ll spring back with the first heavy rain, so avoid watering them wherever possible. Why not re use that water from the kids’ paddling pool and water the garden with it.
• Make full use of your washing machine - Half load programmes on washing machines use more than half the water and energy of a full load, so wait until the machine is full before switching it on.
• Turn off the tap - Simply turning off the tap while washing your hands or shaving can save over 6 litres of water every minute!
• Fix leaking taps - A dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week.
• Keep a jug of water in the fridge - Planning ahead means there is no need to run the water until it gets cold.
• Use a bowl for washing vegetables - You can reduce water waste by using a bowl to wash and prepare your vegetables. Then you can use the water to rinse your recycling bin.
• Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need - This will save water and energy.

Customers are advised to check niwater.com if they are experiencing any problems in their area and use the postcode search facility.

While temperatures appear to have peaked for now, they will remain high into the weekend and early next week.

Saturday could see 27C (80.6F) in Northern Ireland, with predicted highs of around 31C (87.8F) in some parts of the UK by Monday.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: "We are going to see a continuation of the current warm spell but the temperatures over the next few days are not likely to be the warmest of the year so far.

"I think for now temperatures have peaked and we are not expecting to see any records today.

"We will begin to have a slightly fresher feel, bringing the temperatures down, not by much, by one or two degrees.''

Gritters have been deployed in some areas, spreading crushed rock dust onto melting roads to create a non-stick layer between the surface and vehicles.

Motorists have been advised to use warm soapy water to wash sticky tar from their vehicles.

Translink is also feeling the heat as they were forced to delay and cancel services across Northern Ireland on Thursday as rail lines reached over 50C and began to buckle. Delays are expected again today with services running at lower speeds.

The Met Office's heat-health watch alert has remained at level two all week, meaning social and healthcare services are at the ready to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

This week is the first time since 2013 all four nations in the UK have seen temperatures of 30C or above, the Met Office said.

The RNLI has urged those heading to the seaside to seek out beaches with a lifeguard.

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• hosepipe ban
• hot weather