Britain’s Thames Water has announced a temporary hosepipe ban starting July 22, aiming to reduce water consumption across much of southern England after the driest and warmest spring in over a century.

The country’s largest water supplier said the restrictions will affect households in counties including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Berkshire. Under the ban, the use of hosepipes for washing cars, watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling or swimming pools, and cleaning windows will be prohibited.

Other providers, such as Yorkshire Water and South East Water, have also imposed similar restrictions in recent days.

“This spring and summer have been particularly difficult,” said Nevil Muncaster, Thames Water’s Strategic Water Resources Director. “With the ongoing hot and dry conditions, we don’t expect any immediate improvement and must act now.”

Last month, the government pledged to increase efforts to safeguard water supplies as reservoir levels across England dropped to 77%, significantly below the seasonal norm of 93%.

Experts warn that climate change is contributing to more frequent droughts and increasingly dry summers.

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