Sheffield drought: Yorkshire Water responds to anger at pleas to use less water

The company said it needed to “do better for the communities” and “earn trust” as it urged customers to use less water.

Chief executive Nicola Shaw declined two bonuses this year because it would not be “appropriate”, it said. Last year she received a salary of £585,000, a £371,000 bonus and additional benefits of £72,000, taking her total remuneration to more than £1,000,000.

Her announcement earlier this month came ahead of new rules banning "unfair" bonuses to executives.

Last week, the Environment Agency officially declared a drought in Yorkshire following the driest spring in 132 years.

Yorkshire Water warned restrictions – such as a hose pipe ban – were possible this summer unless the county sees “significant rainfall” in coming months.

But on The Star’s Facebook page, some readers said they would defy pleas to use less water and some questioned why reservoirs were low - 62.3 per cent full - compared to the average of 85.5 per cent for this time of year.

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James Taylor said: “With the prices we pay for water watch me blast my hosepipe all day every day.”

Michelle Tomlinson said: “Well I ain’t paying 80 quid a month if I can’t run a bath.”

Darron Bellamy added: “Cars mucky, cars gets washed. Pressure washed. Pay mi bills, use mi water, my water which I paid for.”

Paul Rose added: “Will stop using a hose pipe when Yorkshire Water can actually fix a leak and not leave it for weeks on end.”

Jonathan Pridmore also linked the problem to leaks.

He said: “Plenty running down the road outside my house.”

Paul Blackwell suggested dredging the dams while they were low to give them greater capacity.

Yorkshire Water said it had spent £16m this year fixing leaks, recruited 100 ‘leakage inspectors’ and had made Sheffield and South Yorkshire a priority under a £406m renewal plan for mains prone to bursts and leaks.

The firm had also installed 20,000 smart meters this year that help identify leaks more quickly.

In April this year it put bills up by an average of 29 per cent.

The company said it was necessary to ensure water and wastewater services “continue to meet high standards and address environmental concerns.”

Dave Kaye, director of water service delivery, Yorkshire Water, thanked customers who made an effort to use water wisely.

He added: “Demand is likely to increase with the warm forecast, so we need our customers' help to do what we can now to save water.”

He added: “Customers can also help out by making small changes to how they use water, such as using watering cans instead of hosepipes to water the garden, letting lawns go brown as they'll bounce back following any rain and using the eco setting on washing machines and dishwashers, all of which will help protect resources further into the summer.”

In May, Yorkshire Water was fined fined £350,000 after a watercourse was polluted with sewage.

The spill happened at Foss Dike, near York, in March 2018 close to a faulty pumping station the company knew was broken, the Environment Agency said.