A water company triggered a backlash yesterday after threatening its customers with a hosepipe ban – as the country was being hit by torrential rain and flooding.
Affinity Water emailed households to warn ‘we are now in drought’ and measures had to be taken to reduce usage.
However, just two months ago the firm was fined £8million for missing targets on reducing the amount of water it loses through leaks – an average of 130 litres of water per property per day in 2018, making it the fourth-worst performer across England and Wales.
Britons have spent the past 48 hours struggling with flood waters as a month’s worth of rain fell in less than an hour
Affinity Water has warned they face drought conditions despite the flooding – although the firm was fined £8m earlier this year because of the level of excessive leaks in their system
Commuters are shielding themselves from the rain again today as downpours continued in London this morning, pictured
But not everyone saw flooding as a negative, with these cyclists, left and right, showing no let up by riding straight through surface water in roads in north London
There are currently 35 flood warnings in place around the country with four ‘red’ alerts in Somerset and Merseyside which could even pose a threat to life
The wet and windy weather is set to continue over the next few days – though forecasters said it wouldn’t be as heavy as the deluge that battered the country on Tuesday
Susan Knott blasted the company on its Facebook page, saying: ‘Maybe you should also fix your leaks and not leave water flooding my street for seven days before it’s fixed! That’s a bit of a waste of water, would you say?’
Maggie Jarvis wrote: ‘Affinity’s agenda is mainly keeping their shareholders happy,’ while another added: ‘This is a case of, “Do as we say, not as we do”. It’s pathetic.’
Flood warnings remained in place across the country yesterday following heavy storms in which 80 per cent of September’s average rainfall arrived in just one day. There were concerns for the West Midlands, around the River Anker and River Sence, and low lying farmland and roads around the River Dart near Dartmouth.
Boscombe in Wiltshire saw the biggest rainfall, with 2.2in (5.5cm). The rain also caused commuter chaos, with many key transport hubs forced to close due to flash flooding. London’s Moorgate tube station, in the City, became filled with ankle-deep water, with some passengers carrying others through the flood.
Affinity, which has 3.6million customers, mainly covers parts of Greater London and the Home Counties. It was among those savaged last year by then-Environment Secretary Michael Gove for paying excessive executive salaries and huge dividends to shareholders as millions of households had to ration their use of water when pipes burst during the thaw after the icy conditions of the Beast from the East.
Devoted fans brought waterproofs to Somerset County Cricket Club’s ground, pictured, to watch the team’s crunch County Championship match with Essex
Commuters donned hoods and raised umbrellas in Westminster this morning outside a rain-drenched Parliament, which is set to reconvene at 11.30am
A commuter slipped over on the tiles on the concourse at Victoria Station in London which was also flooded
Pauline Walsh, chief executive of Affinity Water, said: ‘Despite today’s wet weather it may come as a surprise that over the last three years we’ve had much less rain than normal. This means we are now in drought and we may need to introduce water restrictions (also known as a hosepipe ban) in spring 2020.
‘We rely on rain, especially in winter, to supply your water. The rain this week is not enough to make up for three years of dry weather. There’s a lot we’re doing but you can help too.’
The firm suggested customers could make a ‘real difference’ by spending one minute less in the shower or using a water butt for gardening.
Avoiding flooded parts of roads posed a problem for some pedestrians such as this woman who had to jump over water left over from yesterday’s downpour in north London
Prime Minister Boris Johnson struggled with the wind as he arrived back at Parliament today following the Supreme Court ruling that he unlawfully prorogued the Commons
It was a damp and grey start to the day in London, with this view from the Shard showing rain spreading across the city
An Affinity spokesman said last night: ‘There are huge variations in how much water people use, so making small changes now can make a big difference.’
The heavy rain across the country is expected to ease off, although some areas could be hit again.
Bonnie Diamond, a Met Office spokesman, said: ‘The next couple of days will see some showers and rain. We will see another band of rain across the north, and that could be quite heavy across Wales and in the north of England and southern Scotland, especially during this morning’s rush hour. There could be some further impact.’
The covers were also on at the pitch at Somerset County Cricket Club’s The Cooper Associates County Ground ahead of the team’s match with Essex with the outfield also still soaked from yesterday’s deluge
Umbrellas were on show around the Cooper Associates County Ground in Somerset, pictured, as fans awaited the end of the downpour so play could begin
Traffic in Park Lane in London battled through floods this morning, pictured, as the country recovers from a huge downpour that covered much of the UK yesterday
A man carrying a woman through a flooded Moorgate station (left) and water pouring through the ceiling at the Liverpool Street station in London (right) last night