London, along with much of the UK is currently suffering drought conditions, with a hosepipe ban in force, and a drought order now applied for. Why is there a drought? Quite simply, there hasn’t been enough rain. The south of England is experiencing its driest period since 1933, with low rainfall over the last two winters, when traditionally reservoirs and underground aquifiers are replenished.

Whilst it is easy, and perhaps justifiable to a certain extent to blame Thames Water for contributing to the problem with their poor record on repairing leaks, having missed their own targets for three consecutive years, whilst still managing to increase profits each year, consumers also have a part to play. Fifteen years ago we each used around 139 litres of water a day; now we use 150 litres.

We can all help alleviate the problems by taking some simple steps to conserve water. To find out more about the problem and what you can do to conserve water, visit www.beatthedrought.com.

And if you spot a leak in the street, call Thames Water’s leakline free on 0800 714614, or report it online here.