1 May 2023
Hosepipe ban announced by South West Water
South West Water has announced a hosepipe ban, the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering reports, setting out what households can and cannot do with a mains-connected hose.
Heatwaves news
We cover news from public bodies and utility companies for UK households on power cuts, weather, water, health, safety and security. Each report includes the date and sources, with links to our guides.
May 2023
April 2023
27 April 2023
Adverse Weather and Health Plan first published
The UK Health Security Agency first published the Adverse Weather and Health Plan on 27 April 2023, bringing the separate heatwave and cold weather plans for England into a single framework.
27 April 2023
UKHSA published the Adverse Weather and Health Plan
The UK Health Security Agency published the Adverse Weather and Health Plan on 27 April 2023, a national framework covering the health effects of flooding and other severe weather.
19 April 2023
Extreme wildfire risk warning issued for Central and Southern Scotland
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has warned of an extreme risk of wildfire across Central and Southern Scotland from 19 to 21 April 2023, with a very high risk in the North.
March 2023
10 March 2023
Wildfire warning issued for Southwest and Central Eastern Scotland
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued a wildfire warning rated extreme for South West Scotland and very high for Central-Eastern Scotland, in force from Friday 10 March until Saturday 11…
November 2022
25 November 2022
South West Water issues water resources update with region still in drought
South West Water says river and reservoir levels have stabilised after recent rainfall but the region remains in drought, with hosepipe bans still in force in North Devon and Cornwall and a £30 bill…
4 November 2022
South West Water keeps hosepipe ban in Cornwall and parts of North Devon
South West Water has confirmed its hosepipe ban remains in place across Cornwall and parts of North Devon, saying reservoir levels are still extremely low and asking customers to keep saving water.
October 2022
21 October 2022
South West Water warns reservoir levels extremely low in Cornwall and further restrictions possible
South West Water has warned that reservoir levels are extremely low in Cornwall after one of the driest periods in over 130 years, and that further restrictions may follow.
12 October 2022
South West Water asks customers to save more water as reservoirs stay low
South West Water has asked customers in Cornwall and parts of Devon to cut water use further, warning that reservoir levels remain exceptionally low and more restrictions may follow without sustained…
September 2022
20 September 2022
Eleven of 14 Environment Agency areas in England move into drought status
Eleven of the 14 Environment Agency areas in England moved from prolonged dry weather to drought status on 20 September 2022, with parts of South West Wales also in drought.
1 September 2022
Drought declared in Wales after driest seven-month period in 150 years
Wales received just 64% of its long-term average rainfall between March and September 2022, the driest seven-month period in 150 years, which led to a drought being declared.
August 2022
23 August 2022
Temporary Use Ban starts for Cornwall and parts of North Devon
South West Water's Temporary Use Ban, announced on 15 August 2022, came into effect at 00:01 on Tuesday 23 August for Cornwall and the Upper Tamar region in Northern Devon.
13 August 2022
Met Office issues amber heat warning for the weekend
The Met Office issued an amber heat warning as temperatures were forecast to reach 35 degrees over the weekend, the same day bottled water stations opened in Surrey after a water outage.
12 August 2022
Drought officially declared in eight regions of England
A drought was officially declared in eight regions of England on 12 August 2022, as Surrey households lost water after problems at a treatment works and hosepipe bans took effect.
12 August 2022
South West Water warns water restrictions may follow continued dry weather
South West Water said on 12 August 2022 that it would introduce water restrictions if prolonged hot, dry weather and extremely high demand continued across its region.
12 August 2022
Yorkshire Water announces hosepipe ban from 26 August 2022
Yorkshire Water has announced a hosepipe ban across its region from 26 August 2022, after parts of Yorkshire recorded the lowest rainfall since records began more than 130 years ago.
11 August 2022
Amber Extreme heat warning comes into force for much of southern England and parts of eastern Wales
The Met Office Amber Extreme heat warning took effect on 11 August 2022 and runs until Sunday, covering much of southern England and parts of eastern Wales, with temperatures peaking in the mid 30s…
11 August 2022
SSEN issues weather warning for extreme heat 12 to 15 August
SSEN issued a weather warning for its central southern England network ahead of Met Office Amber extreme heat warnings from 12 to 15 August 2022, flagging extreme fire risk and readying repair teams.
11 August 2022
Met Office red alert extreme heat event in Wales in August 2022
Public Health Wales analysis found 98.1 deaths a day in Wales on days covered by a Met Office extreme heat alert in summer 2022, against 84.3 on days with no alert, during heat events in July and…
11 August 2022
Red fire severity alert issued for Dorset and Wiltshire
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a red fire severity alert for the coming days after attending 180 fires in the open in the first ten days of August 2022, up from 34 in the same…