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How a drought could affect you

Find out how a drought can affect you

In a drought there is less water available for the environment and for us. We may have to change the way we do things to leave as much water as possible in the environment and safeguard drinking water supplies.

In your home

The effects of drought in your home could be because of restrictions on water supplies or other drought related problems.

Rota cuts and standpipes

In extreme droughts rota cuts and standpipes could be introduced.

  • Rota cuts mean supplies being turned off for a certain period each day, for example from 8pm until 7am. Anything that used water would have to be done during the day.
  • Standpipes are the next step up: water supplies to properties are stopped and water must be collected from standpipes in the street. These measures are a last resort.

Cracks

If the soil becomes very dry then subsidence can cause cracks to open up.

The vast majority of subsidence happens in houses built on clay soil as the clay shrinks as the ground dries up. This movement can cause cracks in your house. You need to look out for cracks that are wider at one end than the other.

If you spot a crack, get in touch with your household insurance company who will be able to offer advice about what to do. The typical cost of a subsidence claim is £8,000. Most homeowners will have to pay the first £1,000, although some policies have an excess of as much as £5,000.

For further advice, go to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) website or contact your insurance company:

In the garden

Droughts can hit the gardens we love hard due to lack of rain and hosepipe restrictions

On average, garden watering is about 5% of household water use over a year. However, this use is concentrated in dry summer months.  During evenings and at weekends demand for water can double or even treble the daily average as people water their gardens.  A hosepipe restriction can reduce daily demand significantly at the time when water is most scarce.

Save water in a drought

Help conserve water supplies. See our what you can do section to find out how you can use less water