Yorkshire gardeners can relax. There will be no hosepipe ban in 1999.

This announcement, coming only weeks after the Ryedale floods, might have been taken as read elsewhere in the country. But we have long memories, and Yorkshire Water's disastrous mishandling of the 1995 drought remains crystal clear in the public mind.

Since then, however, the tide has turned. Yorkshire Water's management and its customer relations have improved considerably. Today's hosepipe proclamation is as much to do with the firm's rediscovered confidence as it is to do with the climatic conditions.

Last year's wet summer was followed by an equally damp winter. Reservoirs are all but full. The water companies rely on Mother Nature for their raw material, and she has been kind to them this year.

Importantly, Yorkshire Water is no longer reckless with this precious resource. It has invested hundreds of millions of pounds improving the infrastructure. Thanks to a programme to plug leaks, the company is now saving enough water to meet the daily needs of a city the size of Leeds.

The scale of Yorkshire Water's progress was illustrated last year when its Elvington treatment works was gutted by one of the biggest fires seen in North Yorkshire in years.

Elvington provided more than 130 million gallons of water a day, and was shut down for five months. Yet the company never had to interrupt supplies.

York customers can take comfort from such optimistic signs. City residents have always enjoyed continuous water supplies from York Waterworks, even when the rest of the region was drying up. News that Yorkshire Water, with its previous reputation for high bills and low service, was taking over the local provider met with dismay in some quarters.

Yorkshire Water's promise of a summer free of hosepipe restrictions comes on top of its pledge to keep bills low. Wary York customers will wait and see before passing judgement.

One thing is certain. All the water companies will have to plan ahead to ensure they can cope with both increased consumer demand and climate change. But effective water use cannot be left to the giant utilities alone. As individuals, we all have a part to play.

Government ministers are already encouraging people to save water.

As Britain needs ever more water, consumers have to learn to be less wasteful. The disagreeable alternative is the imposition of water meters.

see NEWS 'York wins pledge on water supply'

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