Hosepipe ban could stay until after Christmas (From Witney Gazette)

Hosepipe ban could stay until after Christmas

1:10pm Monday 2nd October 2006 in Witney

OXFORDSHIRE's hosepipe ban could stay in place until after Christmas - despite heavy downpours across the county last weekend.

September was the warmest since records began, and rainfall for the month was below average again.

Thames Water said it was keeping the hosepipe ban under review, but that ground water resources had not recovered to the necessary levels, while the Environment Agency said the bans across the country might stay in place until early next year.

It was a far cry from a stormy weekend across the county.

A Met Office spokesman said on Sunday 6.2mm of rain fell in 12 hours at RAF Brize Norton, between 10pm on Saturday and 10am on Sunday, while RAF Benson received more than double that, with 14.6mm.

The average temperature for central England in September was 16.8 degrees, the warmest since records began in 1659. It beats September 1865, when the average temperature was 16.6 degrees. Rainfall was slightly below average for September, with 50mm recorded in Oxfordshire.

A Thames Water spokesman said: "We need to see what the weather is going to do in the autumn, and possibly into the winter, before we can make a decision on whether the hose pipe ban will be lifted."