Good news everyone – the hosepipe ban is lifted!

If your garden isn’t still a mud bath after weeks of heavy rain, you can now officially go out and water it again.

Yorkshire Water today ended the hosepipe ban it introduced at the height of the summer drought.

Less than a month after the River Ouse flooded in York, the company has lifted the restriction – even though the county is still classified as in drought by the Environment Agency.

In July and August, reservoirs across the North of England dropped dramatically following months of record low rainfall, with some reaching unprecedented levels, exposing lost villages and drowned bridges.

Yorkshire Water imposed its hosepipe ban on 26 August and the firm said on Tuesday that it helped save an average of 28 million litres per day as reservoirs dried up.

In recent weeks, the autumn deluge has seen many reservoirs fill dramatically.

Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re really grateful to our customers for their efforts to save water whilst the weather was drier than usual.

“Thanks to a number of emergency drought schemes, drought permits, increased leakage activity, rainfall, and everyone’s efforts to save water, reservoirs are now looking much healthier – with the average level across the region now at 75%.”