Thousands of households across Swindon are about to be hit by a hosepipe ban.

Thames Water - which serves 15 million homes in the UK - announced it will bring in restrictions on water use for the first time in four years.

The UK has seen one of its driest periods since the 1976 summer heatwave.

As a result, the government could declare a national drought in the coming weeks.

More than 200,000 people living in Swindon will not be able to use a hosepipe to water their gardens or clean their cars.

Other activities include filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool, drawing water, using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use, filling or maintaining a domestic pond or maintaining an ornamental fountain.

Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe is also banned, as is cleaning paths, patios or other artificial outdoor surfaces.

Anyone caught using a hosepipe can face a £1,000 fine and prosecution under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991.

The ban will last until there is sufficient rainfall to fill the reservoirs in the area affected.

Thames Water is yet to decide when the ban will come into force.

A spokesperson for the water company said: “Given the long-term forecast of dry weather and another forecast of very hot temperatures coming this week, we are planning to announce a temporary use ban in the coming weeks.

“We have written to the Environment Agency to update them on our approach and informed Ofwat.

“The timing is not confirmed due to a number of operational and legal procedural requirements but we will be updating our customers, partners, regulators and stakeholders at the earliest time to ensure a coordinated approach.

“In the meantime, we continue to urge our customers to only use what they need for their essential use.”

Government minister Paul Scully said it is “always sensible” for people to conserve water.

Speaking to LBC Mr Scully said: “I think it’s always sensible for people to be conserving water anyway, from an environmental point of view, and a cost point of view for those people on a water meter.

“But we’ll look carefully because the whole point about London and the South East is that the more development you have and the less rainfall there is, then obviously there’s less to go around and we’ve got to be careful.”