The Irish Water Board Water has lifted all remaining Water Conservation Order restrictions in the Southern, Eastern and Midlands regions met today following a review of the data.

The National Drought Group (NDG) has confirmed that there is currently no threat to essential water supplies - but warned that a drier than average winter would bring the risk of restrictions for water company customers.

Nomenca Ltd., a specialist engineering arm of NM Group (North Midland Construction plc), has begun a £22 million expansion of South East Water’s Bray Keleher Water Treatment Works in Berkshire that will see the treatment works increase approximately one-third in size and output.

The amount of water lost through leakage has risen for the second year running - the Consumer Council for Water is calling for water companies to take action now to tackle the problem.

United Utilities has been granted drought permits enabling to increase the level of water it extracts from a number of boreholes and reservoirs in the North West to maintain supplies.

Portsmouth Water has gone out to tender with a major consultative engineering and construction services contract worth an estimated £14 million.

The Environment Agency is stepping up its response to tackle the mounting impacts of continued dry weather and coordinate action to maintain water supplies and manage the other risks associated with drought.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is continuing to encourage its three million-plus customers to use water wisely in order to safeguard water supplies following the hottest June in Wales since records began in 1910.

Irish Water has confirmed that a National Water Conservation Order - commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban - will be in place from 8am today until midnight on Tuesday 31 July 2018.

Water industry regulator Ofwat is calling on the water companies to up their game on water resource management and expressed disappointment that water companies’ draft water resources plans have fallen short of expectations.