Experts are calling for the introduction of water meters that charge for the use of non-essential supplies such as watering gardens and washing cars.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) said security of the UK’s water supplies was at a “critical” point, and that shortages were inevitable without metered use.

In a report ICE said the UK’s water situation is likely to deteriorate going forward thanks to climate change and a growing population.

It is asking for new reservoirs to be built and measures taken to encourage more households to collect water and to reduce consumption by around a third.

Michael Norton, chairman of the institution’s water panel, said hosepipe bans were a “short-term fix” not a long-term solution.

“In our view, they should not be a feature of water supply in the UK in the future,” he said.

The ICE marked the UK’s water security as four out of 10.

Norton said: “Water security has reached a critical point and we believe the underlying reason for that is we haven’t taken a long-term strategic view about planning our water resources in the UK.”