Nearby Thame hit by hosepipe ban as Thames Water takes action to avoid drought conditions, could Aylesbury be next?

Thames Water today confirmed that a Temporary Use Ban will come into effect across a large part of Thames Valley, which includes areas with a postcode starting with OX – such as nearby Thame – as well as GL, SN and RG4, RG8 and RG9.

The ban will come into operation next week, just after midnight on Tuesday 22 July 2025.

After the driest spring in over a century and England’s warmest June on record, the Thames Valley area has been placed in Prolonged Dry Weather status by the Environment Agency, meaning there is a heightened risk of drought. Thames Water is now implementing the next stage of its drought plan to help protect customer supplies and the environment.

Under the temporary ban customers are asked not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling pools and swimming pools or cleaning windows.

While the ban does not impact businesses where water use is a core part of their purpose, for example garden centres/car washes nor will it currently impact the London area, Thames Water is asking everyone across the region it serves to be mindful of their water use.

Thames Water explains that the prolonged hot weather and below average rainfall means there is less water available to support local water supplies and Thames Water is continuing to see high demand across the Thames Valley region.

Across the Swindon and Oxfordshire areas, the company has seen customers’ daily demand for water reach levels last seen during the 2022 drought. Company data shows customers often use up to 30% more water on hot days (temperatures above 25 degrees).

Water abstracted from the River Thames for this area is stored at Farmoor reservoir in Oxfordshire. If as is expected, the warm, dry weather continues the company anticipates that reservoir levels at Farmoor will continue to drop.

River levels are also below average for the time of year, which limits how much water can be sourced from the River Thames to top up the reservoir. In the Cotswolds, aquifers which feed the River Thames are fast draining and the prolonged low rainfall also limits how quickly they can be refilled, further restricting how much water the company can source for reservoir storage.

The hot weather also means more water is lost through evaporation from surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes. Carefully managing the amount of water Thames Water takes from rivers can help protect aquatic animals and invertebrates as well as local wildlife.

Nevil Muncaster, Strategic Water Resources Director at Thames Water said: “This has been a challenging spring and summer with big spikes in customer demand during hot dry days and very little rainfall to replenish local supplies in the Thames Valley.

“Given the continued warm, dry weather we do not anticipate that the situation will improve any time soon so we have to take action now. Every drop of water we use comes from the environment and we have to balance protecting this while taking out the water needed to top-up reservoir levels.

“That is why we have had to make to the difficult decision to implement a hosepipe ban to make sure there’s enough water for customers’ essential needs and to protect rivers.

“While this TUB will only affect customers in certain areas, I want to thank all our customers for their understanding and for their support so far to reduce their water use. This includes turning the taps off while brushing teeth, taking shorter showers and letting your lawn go dry.”

So could Aylesbury be next?

While a hosepipe ban is not currently in effect for Aylesbury, Thames Water has indicated a high risk of one being implemented soon due to ongoing dry weather and high water demand. Thames Water has stated they are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates if restrictions become necessary. Currently, Thames Water is urging customers to reduce water usage and is implementing other measures to manage the situation.