Tejal Somvanshi
For the first time in 50 years, one of England’s biggest water companies is telling customers to turn off the hose. The reason? Demand has hit levels never seen before — and the rain still hasn’t come.
Wessex Water announced its first hosepipe ban since 1976 on Monday. The restrictions affect around 1.4 million customers across Bath and parts of Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, plus Berkeley, Sharpness and Wotton.
The ban comes into effect from Tuesday 18 August 2026 at 00:01hrs. It means hosepipes must not be used for filling pools, watering plants or washing cars. Customers unable to make reasonable adjustments due to a health condition or disability are exempt, as are some businesses and those using them for animal welfare.
The company’s chief executive said: “This isn’t a decision we’ve made lightly and we’re sorry for the inconvenience it will cause. The prolonged and extreme dry weather has meant demand across our region has consistently remained at more than 400 million litres per day, 30 per cent above average.”
On July 11, demand hit 449 million litres — the highest ever recorded by the company. The chief executive added: “[That’s] the equivalent of almost half a million hosepipes running for a full hour every day.”
Will Willoughby, director of water supply at Wessex Water, said: “We’re working really hard around the clock to maintain service to customers. The supplies are in a stable position at the moment. 75% of our resource comes from underground sources which are around where we would expect to see them. The other 25% come from our surface-water reservoirs, so big lakes and bodies of water, and they’re around the 58% mark.”
The ban brings Wessex Water in line with eight other water companies nationwide that have introduced restrictions. And with forecast rainfall unlikely to be significant, the drought could deepen before it gets better.
