South East Water cancelled its application for a Non-Essential Use Ban (NEUB) under a Drought Order in December 2025, the company says. The application had been made on 24 October 2025. The company states that it cancelled the application "following a period of positive recovery at Ardingly Reservoir, which moved us to Level 1 of our Drought Plan"1.
A Non-Essential Use Ban targets certain commercial and non-household uses of water, according to the company, and an application must be approved by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs before a ban can be introduced1. The same page also describes a separate, later application made on 2 October 2026 for a NEUB in the Sussex supply area, which the company says is not currently in force and would only be implemented if drought conditions in Sussex become more severe1. The page does not report the outcome of that 2026 application.
The December 2025 cancellation is set out on a page that also covers the 2025 River Ouse Drought Order. South East Water applied to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for that order on 10 October 2025, and the page states it "has now been approved"1. The company says the order superseded a Drought Permit granted by the Environment Agency on 22 September 2025 and lasted for up to six months, to 2 June 20261. It allowed the company to reduce the amount of additional water released from Ardingly Reservoir into the Shell Brook tributary of the River Ouse and to reduce the minimum flow that had to remain in the river at Barcombe Mills after water had been taken for customers1.
The page also describes conditions during 2026. It states that Ardingly Reservoir was 22.8 per cent full and had triggered the next level of the company's Drought Plan, and that between March and August Sussex received just over 56 per cent of expected rainfall1. It cites the Met Office as provisionally reporting Summer 2026 to be the hottest on record for the UK, and says July in England was the driest since records began 190 years ago1. South East Water applied for a Drought Permit in Sussex on 28 August 2026, which was granted by the Environment Agency on 29 September 20261.
"In December 2025, we cancelled the application following a period of positive recovery at Ardingly Reservoir, which moved us to Level 1 of our Drought Plan."
Why it matters for households
The cancellation applied to a ban on certain commercial and non-household uses of water, not to household supplies. The company says household customers in Sussex are subject to hosepipe restrictions, with changes to exemptions taking effect from 9 October 2026, and that existing exemptions will be removed from that date except where hosepipe use is permitted for health and safety purposes1. It also states that there are no additional restrictions in place as a result of the 2026 NEUB application1. The company says sustained rainfall is still needed for water resources in Sussex to recover, so that water can filter into underground aquifers and replenish rivers and reservoirs1. How drought plans and hosepipe rules work, and what the current position is in England, are set out in the guides on water company drought plans, the current drought situation and the water shortage and hosepipe ban checklist, within the heatwaves and drought hub.
What happens next
The 2025 River Ouse Drought Order lasted for up to six months, to 2 June 20261. The 2026 NEUB application of 2 October 2026 requires approval by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs before any ban can be introduced, and the company says it would only implement the ban if drought conditions in Sussex become more severe1. The page does not report a decision date for that application.
Sources (1)
- Drought Orders | South East Water, southeastwater.co.uk
