YORKSHIRE Water has said its hosepipe ban needs to stay in place – saying “every drop still counts”.

The company, which first announced the ban just over a month ago, today confirmed it was still required due to a lack of significant rain.

In an email to customers, Bradford-based Yorkshire Water said: “We’ve had a great response across the region and domestic water usage has gone down by 10 per cent since we introduced them.

“Which may have you thinking – do we still need the restrictions in place? 

“In short – yes.

“Our reservoir levels are at just 39.1 per cent – we’d normally expect them to be around 74.2 per cent at this time of year.

“That’s why we need to keep making positive changes that will continue to have an impact on our water stocks, particularly when the weather is warm.

“Light showers help in the short term, but we need sustained and significant rainfall to restore reservoir levels – and that isn’t currently forecast.

“At the same time, water use remains high, with the recent dry, hot weather we’ve been having.”

The company urged people to continue saving water, including by having short showers and turning off taps when brushing or washing.