Britain’s biggest water company has announced a hosepipe ban for 10.1 million customers as large parts of the country move closer to drought status. Thames Water said the restriction, also known as a temporary use ban (TUB), will come into effect at 12.01am on Thursday. The ban applies to all customers that it supplies with drinking water across London, the Thames Valley and the Home Counties – but not to waste-only customers. Bans are also in place for Southern Water customers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and South West Water customers in parts of Devon and Lyme Regis in Dorset. Customers of Cambridge Water, Affinity Water and Anglian Water, which supply areas in the East of England, have also introduced restrictions.