MILLIONS of people in the North West are facing a hosepipe ban after the driest summer since 1976, with £1,000 fines for people who flout the ban.

The ban will come into force on Sunday, August 5 and will affect all Trafford households.

Water company United Utilities said the ban is certain to happen unless a 'period of sustained rainfall' visits the North West before August 5.

The ban will effect seven million people throughout the North West, and will restrict the use of hose pipes or sprinklers for watering private gardens and washing private cars.

Martin Padley, United Utilities water services director, said: "Despite some recent rainfall, reservoir levels are still lower than we would expect at this time of year and, with forecasters predicting a return to hot dry weather for the rest of July, we are now at a point where we will need to impose some temporary restrictions on customers.

"It is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are enormously grateful to customers for having helped reduce the demand on our network over the last couple of weeks, but unless we get a period of sustained rainfall before August 5 these restrictions will help us safeguard essential water supplies for longer."

The hosepipe ban, known as a Temporary Use Ban, will apply to all households in Trafford and Greater Manchester, but customers will still be able to water their gardens with a watering can and wash their vehicles using a bucket and sponge.

According to United Utilities, a hosepipe uses 540 litres an hour, as much as a family-of-four would use in one day, while a sprinkler left running overnight uses as much water as a family-of-four would use in one week.

A hosepipe ban can reduce water usage by 5-10 per cent, according to research by United Kingdom Water Industry Research, which in the North West would amount to over 100 million litres per day.

United Utilities said customers who believe they should be exempt from the ban should contact them before restrictions come into force on August 5.