New data shows the impact that the ‘driest July on record’ had on water supplies across Essex and Suffolk.
At the end of last month, the Environment Agency declared a drought in more than half of the country, including in Essex and Suffolk where temporary use bans (hosepipe bans) were introduced.
On Monday 3 August, Essex & Suffolk Water introduced a temporary use ban, meaning that customers are being asked to use watering cans and buckets instead of hosepipes for watering plants and washing cars.
Each month, the water company release an infographic packed with statistics to demonstrate to customers what local water supply looks like.
The data from Essex & Suffolk Water shows that there was just 2mm of rain during the month, causing reservoir levels to drop by 18%.
It showed that the highest day for water demand was Thursday 9 July, when 596 million litres of water were used, the equivalent of 238 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The statistics also showed that a total of 4,158 leaky pipes have been fixed since 1 January 2026, with 625 of these being repaired in July.
By keeping customers updated on the monthly information, customers will be able to see how water-saving efforts across the operating areas can impact reservoir levels. The data is available across social media and on the Essex & Suffolk Water website.
Katie Davis, Head of Water Service Planning, said: “By sharing these four key statistics, we want to give our customers a clear view of the factors affecting water resources across our region.
“There is a close relationship between rainfall, the amount of raw water available in our reservoirs and groundwater sources, and overall demand for water, including leakage and customer use.
“Making this information available helps customers see how conditions are changing and the part we can all play in using water wisely.”
Customers can see the infographic, here; Water Resources.
For more information about the temporary use ban, visit our website: Temporary Use Ban.
The infographic shows:
Rainfall
Rainfall helps environments to flourish, refills reservoirs and replenishes groundwater levels. This is important because reservoirs collect and store 'raw water', ready for the treatment works to process and make drinkable. The more it rains, the more raw water there is.
Essex is relatively flat, so when it rains, there is limited natural run-off into the reservoirs and only small gains from rain falling directly onto the reservoir itself. Most water is pumped in from nearby rivers.
Reservoir levels
This is important because the reservoirs are the main storage for ‘raw water’.
In summer, when the weather is hot and dry, the teams at Essex & Suffolk Water work incredibly hard to make sure the water in reservoirs across the region is carefully managed, to meet customer demand and support the environment.
It’s a balancing act that the teams are equipped for, but it becomes more challenging each year with climate change.
Leakage
The bar chart shows the overall number of leak repairs the company carry out on a monthly basis, revealing the number of completed jobs so far this year. This includes emergency and planned repairs, and is important because it helps to make sure as much treated water as possible reaches our customers.
The company is the top performer for leakage – but the teams can only respond to the leaks that they know about, which is why customers are asked to report any leaks they see. There are also specialist teams of analysts and leakage technicians who work tirelessly every day seeking out the majority of leaks which aren't visible.
Demand
There are certain days of the week when there is more demand for water than others.
Sunday is the day of the week when customers typically use more water, perhaps because they will do their laundry, wash their car, do some gardening, cook a roast dinner with lots of dishes, or maybe enjoy a soak in the bath.
The weather also has a huge impact on demand, because when it is hot, people use water to stay cool and hydrated. Millions of litres are used across our region every day, but simple water savings habits can bring this figure down.
Customers can find out their household usage with the water calculator on the Essex & Suffolk Water website, or by checking their latest bill, or app for those with a smart meter.
Visit: How Much Water Are You Using With Our Water Energy Calculator