Bristol households asked to check toilets as drought triggers hosepipe bans nearby

Bristol Water has asked customers to check their toilets for silent leaks that can waste up to 400 litres of water a day, as drought conditions extend across the region [1]. The company said more than 70 per cent of England, including Bristol, had been declared in drought by the Environment Agency after months of record dry and hot weather [1].

The appeal focuses on "leaky loos", which Bristol Water described as one of the most common sources of household water loss, often going unnoticed because water trickles silently into the pan [1]. Customers are advised to carry out a simple toilet-roll test and, if a leak is found, follow step-by-step repair advice on the company’s website [1].

The response in Bristol differs from stricter measures elsewhere in the West Country. Wessex Water has announced a temporary hosepipe ban, restricting non-essential outdoor water use in Somerset and Wiltshire [4], [6], [8], [9]. Farmers in Wiltshire are also facing a drought crisis for food crops, the Gazette Series, Stroud News and Journal, Wiltshire Times and Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard reported [2], [3], [5], [7].