Still fears of hosepipe ban despite recent rain

And if the dry period continues and the reservoirs continue to deplete – Draycote Water is only 77 per cent full with 17,733,000 litres – a hose- pipe ban is on the horizon.

The most recent prolonged downpour last Sunday saw hours of non-stop heavy rain and drizzle.

But Martin Cane, customer services director with Severn Trent, said it will take more than that to restore reservoirs to healthier levels.

He said: “No final decision has been made, but unless we see a return to seasonal average rainfall, we are facing the likelihood of water restriction in parts of our region in the near future.

“In spite of the recent rainfall we’ve been experiencing the second driest spring since records began.

“In the Warwickshire area we have only seen 39 per cent of average rainfall.

“Our first priority is to provide a continuous supply of high quality drinking water but as a result of the recent weather most of our reservoirs are lower than we would like them to be.

“We are looking at every option to conserve supplies and tackle leakages, but our customers can help by using water sensibly and reporting any leaks.”

Despite spending more than £10 billion on improvements to its water and sewage systems since privatisation in 1989, Severn Trent still loses million of litres of water a day because of leaks in its pipes and has a major programme of pipe replacement.

Severn Trent had a leakage target of 483 million litres per day for 2010-11 but the severe winter weather led to more burst pipes and leaks.

As a consequence the Coventry-based company missed its target by three per cent and cut leaks to 497 million litres per day.

Severn Trent said it is on target to reduce leakage by 10 per cent by 2015. To report a leak phone 0800 783 4444 or log onto www.stwater.co.uk