Water saving urged despite above-average rainfall

A water company has urged customers to use less water despite above-average rainfall in October.

Portsmouth Water said groundwater levels had suffered from the hot, dry summer.

It said levels were 2m (6.6ft) below average, but needed to be higher than normal to be sure of avoiding a hosepipe ban next year.

In a Facebook post, the firm asked customers to turn off running taps, switch showerheads and repair leaky toilets.

It said: "Almost all the water that reaches your taps comes from the chalk rock under the South Downs.

"When it rains, our underground sources take much longer to recover.

"With longer and drier summers becoming more common, this means we need groundwater levels to be higher than long-term averages through wetter months to make sure we can avoid hitting drought triggers, like temporary use bans."

In an average year, groundwater levels climb from November to March, a graph in the post suggested.

The firm said groundwater levels were at 14.2m (47ft), which was 1.9m (6ft) above the level which could trigger a temporary use ban.

Portsmouth Water regularly posts groundwater and rainfall statistics on its Facebook page and frequently issues water saving advice.