London faces hose ban

London is facing its first hosepipe ban for 15 years after one of the driest winters on record.

Thames Water said today that summer restrictions were "certainly a possibility" because of exceptionally low rainfall. The warning comes as millions of Londoners learned that they would have to pay 18 per cent more for water and sewerage this year.

A spokesman for Thames Water, which has the worst record for leaky pipes in England, said rainfall between November and February had been 50 per cent of the average.

Only two winters in the past century - 1908-09 and 1933-34 - were drier. Ground water levels had dropped by up to 50 per cent, although most reservoirs were full.

Thames Water has not had to impose restrictions since the summer of 1990 but admitted that the next few weeks were crucial.

"With so much less rainfall than normal, the likelihood of restrictions is higher than in an average winter," the spokesman said. "We are not ruling it in or out."

The traditional summer surge in water demand is expected to start next month.

London's growing population and the warmer climate mean that pressure on the water supplies is greater than ever. Thames Water has urged Londoners to reduce use through simple measures, such as turning off the tap while brushing their teeth.

Thames Water is also desperate to reduce the volume of water it loses through the poor state of its pipes. More than a third of the water put into chronically leaky Victorian mains system - 800 million litres a day - disappears before it gets to the taps.

However, Thames Water denied that leaks were contributing to the threatened shortage. "Leakage is the top priority and we are doing more than ever to reduce it," said the spokesman.

The German-owned company plans to replace 850 miles of pipes as part of a five-year ?3.1 billion investment programme, which has forced it to raise water bills by almost a fifth from 1 April.

The record increase has provoked anger from customers already hit by higher power bills and council tax. Andrew Marsh, a spokesman for consumer body WaterVoice, said complaints had doubled in February when notifications of the rise started going out. "The reaction has ranged from disappointment to outrage."