Thames Water enforces hosepipe ban for 1.1 million UK customers due to record dry spring.

Thames Water has imposed a hosepipe ban affecting around 1.1 million customers in parts of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire, and Berkshire, starting July 22. The ban follows one of the UK's driest springs on record and aims to protect water supplies. Businesses relying on water for core operations, like car washes and garden centers, are exempt. The Environment Agency has categorized the affected areas as "prolonged dry weather."