it strikes. it s hard to describe what it is to see that happen in front of you. the writers in our programme are in the audience watching this. thames water has confirmed that it s introducing a hosepipe ban from august 24th for households. it s blamed the driest july since 1885, below normal groundwater levels, and a drop in reservoir levels in london and the thames valley. set mac i think that is 1995. thames water also says it s working on reducing leaks, which mean it loses around a quarter of the water it supplies every day, about 600 million litres. the recent heatwave and lack of rainfall have led to low water levels in many of the uk s canals forcing some of them to close at one of the busiest times of the year for boating holidays. nick garnett has been taking a look