Friday, 4 September 2026
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The Guardian World· World

Revealed: how companies ‘secretly’ use billions of litres of public water in drought-hit England

Exclusive: As millions of people face hosepipe bans, many companies are not required to report, let alone cut, use of public supplyLess than 1% of businesses in England use more water than the daily needs of 10 million people, as millions of households face hosepipe bans and three-quarters of the country is in drought.Businesses across England use 2.6bn litres a day from the public water supply, w

Published Friday, 4 September 2026 at 06:00
Revealed: how companies ‘secretly’ use billions of litres of public water in drought-hit England
Exclusive: As millions of people face hosepipe bans, many companies are not required to report, let alone cut, use of public supplyLess than 1% of businesses in England use more water than the daily needs of 10 million people, as millions of households face hosepipe bans and three-quarters of the country is in drought.Businesses across England use 2.6bn litres a day from the public water supply, which includes potable and non-potable water provided by water companies. In total, businesses account for about 30% of public supply use, with two-thirds of their consumption in water-stressed areas, according to Mosl, the organisation that operates England’s business water market. Continue reading...

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