Dry Weather Update

Water's Worth Saving

We’re asking for your help to reduce the water you use at home and use it wisely wherever possible. There are currently no restrictions from doing anything yet. If we all start now and work together we can help to reduce the chance of a temporary usage ban (hosepipe ban) from being implemented.

How you can help

• Use water wisely and minimise any usage where you can. Follow our summer water saving tips. Small changes can make a big difference. 
• Warm weather can cause ground movement which can lead to burst pipes. If you see what you think might be a leak, you can help us out by reporting a leak and we will do our best to get it fixed as soon as we can.
• Check your toilets for leaks. If you think you might have a leak, we may be able to fix it for free. You can report it here.

The current situation in Essex and Suffolk

Due to the prolonged hot weather, the total water levels are now lower than normal and the Environment Agency has moved the region into Drought status. We're working hard to make sure we balance maintaining supplies to all our customers while also protecting the environment.

While we’re in this period of prolonged exceptionally dry weather we're asking everyone to be careful about their water use so we can keep the water flowing to all of our customers. 

What we're doing 

We're doing our best to save water too:

• We are closely monitoring and carefully managing the situation with our water resources, as reservoir levels are lower than they would normally be at this time of year, preparing for every eventuality.
• We have increased resources and are making extra investments to achieve our best-ever performance in repairing leaks, including redeploying our employees to find and fix leaks as well as deploying new technology.
• We’ve suspending planned work so we can focus our efforts on fixing leaks across the region.

Happy New Year!

Between September and Christmas, our teams have been out in the area checking for, and repairing, leaks where possible to reduce the amount of water wasted from our pipework. We’ve been using satellite imaging and new technology to help us do this, and we plan to continue using these throughout the rest of the project to make sure we save every drop we can.

Our teams have also been quick to respond to leaks in customer homes and we’ll continue to help where we can, so if you think you might have a leaking toilet, or a leak elsewhere in your home, please get in touch with us to see if we can help. To report a leaking toilet and to find out if we can fix it for free, you can get in touch with us online here, call us for free on 0800 953 0130 or email watersaving@nwl.co.uk

We were out and about in a number of the local villages and towns to raise awareness of our initiative and you may have seen our posters or postcards on local noticeboards or in community hubs. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation with you at community events over the next eight months and, once we have a better idea of government restrictions, we’ll be sharing the events we’ll be attending over the spring and summer on here and on our ‘Planned Event’s page.

We also launched our nomination form for community groups and charities in December. You know your patch better than anyone else and that’s why we’re asking you to nominate charities and community groups that support critical issues that are close to our heart and would benefit from the funding available. You can nominate charities or community groups here. The more water that you help us save, the more funding will be available for projects in your area.

With colder weather forecasted, you might notice more leaks when you’re out and about so please do report any leaks you see, you can report them online here or, if you’ve found a serious leak, you can call our emergency leakline on 0800 526 337.

You can also do your bit and raise funds for your community by using water wisely throughout the day both in and outside of your home, click here for water saving tips or to use our virtual water efficiency assistant.

And if you don’t have a water meter, it might be worth looking into getting one fitted. Having a water meter allows you to become more aware of your usage, and the less you use, the less you pay. Check out our water usage calculator here to see if you could save money with a water meter and you can also apply online to have one fitted.

We’re looking forward to working with you in 2022!

Hi and thanks for visiting our community portal for our Water's Worth Saving initiative. My name is Harriet and I’m the Customer Engagement Advisor for Essex & Suffolk Water. I’ll be providing updates on behalf of the Water's Worth Saving team throughout the duration of the scheme so please remember to check back regularly to follow our progress.  

This area of Suffolk is our focus, due to challenges faced with supply and demand, whereby the combination of repeatedly warm, dry weather spells, more people holidaying in the area, and more people working from home during the Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an increase in the use of water.   

The amount of water available for us to treat in this area hasn’t increased, it has and will stay the same. We can’t take any more water away from the surrounding environment. That’s why it’s so important that we work together to reduce any water wastage and unnecessary use, to make sure our teams can keep up with the demand.  

We are excited to bring this opportunity to this area of Suffolk and can’t wait to dive right in and succeed with the local community. Our plan is to work together with local groups, schools, charities, and residents to protect local water resources. I’ll share more information here soon about our plans to attend community events and I’d love to see you there and have a chat. I’ll also be available to talk over Zoom or Teams on a regular basis, and we'll also be holding frequent digital discussion groups, the details of which will be posted in due course. 

Want to get involved and raise funds for your community? Play your part by: 

Reporting any leaks seen out and about via our leakage portal. 

Reduce the amount of water wasted throughout the day in your home/community. 

Repairing leaking toilets and be on the look out for leaking toilets.  

And don’t forget, if you haven’t got a water meter, having one fitted also allows you to become more aware of your usage, and the less you use, the less you pay. 

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