Thames Water is “ready to go” on announcing a hosepipe ban if a drought is declared, its strategy and regulatory affairs director has said.

Cathryn Ross said there is a process for introducing a ban but that could be bypassed if an official declaration of drought is made later on today (Friday).

A decision on declaring a drought in parts of the country will be made by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with the Environment Agency later today following a meeting of the National Drought Group.

Ms Ross told BBC Breakfast: “We have to wait and see what the Government says and exactly what that means, possibly even later today. I don’t know, we will obviously consider that.

“But, as you probably noticed, at Thames Water we’ve been asking our customers since late May to respond to the hot weather, to respond to the dry weather and just really take steps to use water wisely.”

Asked if a drought was declared, whether the hosepipe ban could come in straight away, she said: “Very probably, yes. We are ready to go with our hosepipe ban.

“Obviously before we introduce the ban itself, we need to be really ready with all of our communications for people right the way across the region, so we’re really clear for everybody what they can do, what they can’t do, and if they’re having any issues how to contact us. We are ready to do that.”

Thames Water announced earlier this week that a hosepipe ban could be put in force in "weeks" following a bout of hot dry weather.

However, the announcement of drought in the Thames Water service area could accelerate that process.

Speaking to Sky News, the chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, Emma Clancy, gave advice on how to cut down water usage.

She said: “The drought has brought all our use of water into sharp focus and it is very much a precious resource that we need to value and it doesn’t have to be complicated, the steps that we need to take. Just very simple steps will make a big difference.

“And there’s also a significant opportunity for households to save money at a time when that is really, really important.

“So, around 16% of your energy costs are actually spent heating water. So, if you can take a shorter shower, if you can use less water, you’ll be saving on your water bill. And you’ll also be saving on your energy costs, which is incredibly important right now.”