Yorkshire Water water has launched its drought plans, with the threat of a future hosepipe ban after Sheffield experienced its driest spring in 90 years.

The recent heatwave and high temperatures have caused a spike in water-usage with as much as 100 million litres of extra water being used daily, which is the equivalent of Hull’s daily usage, Yorkshire Water has said.

Dave Kaye, director of water service delivery at Yorkshire Water, said: “We are keeping a close eye on the weather and have plans in place for a range of circumstances in the short, medium and long-term.”

Yorkshire Water along with United Utilities and Severn Trent has begun developing its drought plans, with the whole of England being said to be at ‘medium risk’ of drought if there is no rainfall soon.

People living in Sheffield are being advised to take precautionary, water-saving measures from using the eco-setting on washing machines, spending one less minute in the shower and fitting a ‘flushsaver’ in toilets.

Green campaign group Sheffield Environmental said in a statement: “We are in for a hard time, with limited crop yields inflicted by the conditions and children will be starting more fires in parks, making those areas feel unusable for a significant amount of time.”

The suggested hosepipe ban that could come into effect in Sheffield would mean that the use of all hosepipes for non-essential purposes like watering gardens or washing cars will be prohibited for Yorkshire Water customers.

Water companies have been urged to take action to help avoid a hosepipe ban later in the summer and avoid customer outrage.

Yorkshire water said: “In the Sheffield area, we have installed 20,000 smart meters as well as beginning our project to replace 43km of mains in the area over the next two years.”

The threat of summer droughts has also been predicted to have negative implications in the long term.

Sheffield Environmental, said: “It generally feels like the longer the dry weather carries on, the more rain we get further down the line.”

For more water saving tips, visit: https://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water/save-water/