Cambridge Water has introduced a hosepipe ban affecting around 350,000 people, saying its teams have been 'doing everything possible to maintain supplies' as demand for water reaches 'record levels'20:24, 09 Jul 2026Updated 01:14, 10 Jul 2026A hosepipe ban affecting around 350,000 Brits has been imposed as the UK swelters in its third heatwave of the year.‌Cambridge Water said the temporary ban - the first imposed in the region in 30 years - will take effect immediately, with the restrictions becoming legally enforceable from 1am BST on July 17. The company supplies drinking water to customers across Cambridgeshire and parts of Bedfordshire.‌In a notice issued on Thursday afternoon, Cambridge Water said the ban had become necessary due to record-breaking heat, a 30 per cent rise in water use - equivalent to an extra 300,000 baths a day - and low rainfall in recent months.‌"On hot days - which have been continuous for several weeks now - the demand for water outstrips the maximum amount of water we are able to abstract from the environment, treat and distribute," the water company said.Elena Karpathakis, managing director at Cambridge Water, said: "We have been doing everything possible to maintain supplies, but demand for water is currently at record levels. So we really need your help please."‌She added: "This is not a decision we have taken lightly - it is the first time in more than 30 years, since the UK drought of 1995, that we have had to introduce a temporary hosepipe ban."Against the backdrop of higher-than-average temperatures driven by the climate crisis, Cambridgeshire has seen below-average rainfall since March, with the region experiencing one of its driest Aprils on record. Two heatwaves followed in May and June, bringing record temperatures in both months.‌The current heatwave sent temperatures soaring to 35.5C in Wisley, Surrey, on Thursday. The Met Office said it was the eighth day this year that temperatures had exceeded 34C, setting a new record for the number of days reaching 34C or higher in a calendar year. The previous record was seven days, set during the scorching summer of 1976 and equalled in 2020.As a result of the prolonged hot and dry conditions, Cambridge Water said it has started drawing down on its underground reserves "sooner and faster" than it normally would. The company said the ban was necessary to "help protect local water resources and the region's internationally important chalk streams".Everyone supplied by the company is required to stop using their hosepipes for the following non-essential activities: watering gardens; filling ponds, fountains, paddling pools, swimming pools, hot tubs or cold-water plunge pools; and washing cars, patios or windows.Article continues belowSouth East Water became the first company to introduce a temporary hosepipe ban, which came into force on July 3 for parts of Kent, including those in Ashford, Canterbury, Faversham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Snodland, Tenterden and Tunbridge Wells.Hosepipe restrictions are also being introduced for about one million Southern Water customers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Friday.