[Aidy]

Yep
Woke up to the news the hosepipe ban here in the North West is off!

They claim we have had enough rainfall of late to call it off.
I am a little scepitical to be honest and wonder just how much of this is due to pressure from the public regarding that industry about to waste several million gallons?
Oh well we can sleep at night knowing we have water!

[mrs bouquet]

I guess it comforting to know, but like you I feel a bit sceptical.    It will take months to restore those reservoirs and rivers to normal surely ?  Mrs Bouquet

[Goosegirl]

We have had some decent rain here in the last week but I don't think it would have re-filled the reservoirs enough to call the ban off. Hmm!

[AlaninCarlisle]

The main rivers in N Cumbria (Eden and Caldew) are still lower than I've seen them in many, many years

[JayG]

It's said that the drought of 1976 wasn't so much caused by the hot, dry summer but the dry winter and spring that went before.

I imagine that the recent rain in parts of the NW considerably reduced demand for a time, but that all the water companies are probably now crossing everything that there is enough rainfall from autumn onwards to replenish the reserves for next summer.

[AlaninCarlisle]

Are you sure about the hosepipe ban in the NW being off? I've seen nothing up here to that effect, or is Cumbria excluded from the NW?

Incidentally, for reasons I don't fully understand, Carlisle area is exempt from any ban anyway

[al78]

It's said that the drought of 1976 wasn't so much caused by the hot, dry summer but the dry winter and spring that went before.

Yes, plus summer 1975 was warm and dry (after the freak snow at the start of June). It is not so much one hot dry summer, but prolonged periods of maybe a year or two of well below average rainfall, combined with wasteful Western lifestyles which result in water shortages. We had that happen in 2010 to March 2012, then the weather flipped into reverse and we had the wettest April to June on record (a bit like the summer of 1976 being followed by a soaking wet September).

[Aidy]

Are you sure about the hosepipe ban in the NW being off? I've seen nothing up here to that effect, or is Cumbria excluded from the NW?

Incidentally, for reasons I don't fully understand, Carlisle area is exempt from any ban anyway

Yep, just go to the United Utilities web site its all on there.

[Goosegirl]

I happened to catch someone from United Utilities saying that, because the ground is so dry and cracked, any decent rainfall will just run off. It would normally but, methinks, in a reservoir? I don't think that's much of an excuse do you?

[Aidy]

I happened to catch someone from United Utilities saying that, because the ground is so dry and cracked, any decent rainfall will just run off. It would normally but, methinks, in a reservoir? I don't think that's much of an excuse do you?

Yes and no.
I still firmly believe there is more of a political reason for this as that certain industry has now applied for another site to start its business, all around the Blackpool area there are signs saying "drinking water before fracking" this seems of pushed those on the fence to have a different view!