Southern Water announced the Temporary Use Ban for its household customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on 21 July 2025, asking them to stop using hosepipes from that day. The company said the ban is legally enforceable from 9am on Monday 21 July 2025, but that it was asking customers to support the action immediately to avoid a spike in demand that could put water supplies at risk1.
The company said the ban follows the driest spring in over 100 years and the warmest June on record, and that the Test and Itchen chalk streams, which supply most of its water in the region, are at critically low levels, down 24 per cent on normal flows for this time of year1. It said the Environment Agency declared the Solent and South Downs in "prolonged dry weather" that day, and that the action comes after similar moves by other English water companies1. Southern Water said a hosepipe uses 1,000 litres of water an hour, which it described as one person's weekly water use in just 60 minutes1.
The company asked households to stop using hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, filling paddling pools and washing cars, and said simple swaps such as using a watering can or bucket would bring usage down quickly1. It said there are exemptions to the ban, including for Priority Services Register and WaterSure customers with mobility or health needs, such as Blue Badge holders1. It also said it is asking businesses to support the effort, with a "You Save We'll Pay" incentive scheme due to launch in August1.
Southern Water said it reduced leakage by almost 20 per cent in the last year, fixing more than 7,000 leaks and saving millions of litres of water in Hampshire alone1. It said longer term work to deliver new sources of water for Hampshire includes what it describes as the UK's first new reservoir in 40 years, the UK's first water recycling plant, and major new water transfer projects with neighbouring water companies1.
"We're sorry we're taking this step, but as other water companies have already done, we have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region."
Why it matters for households
The ban applies to Southern Water's household customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The company has published a postcode checker so households can see whether they are affected, alongside a list of exemptions and water saving tips1. Its announcement names garden watering, filling paddling pools and car washing among the activities it is asking households to stop doing with a hosepipe1. Households on the Priority Services Register or WaterSure with mobility or health needs, such as Blue Badge holders, are among those the company lists as exempt1.
The company's own guidance sets out what a hosepipe ban involves and the rules on what can and cannot be done during one, including watering the garden, allotment and new lawn and paddling pools, ponds and car washing. Its announcement does not set out the penalties for misuse; the site's guide to hosepipe ban fines and reporting misuse covers that subject. Households preparing for restrictions can use the water shortage and hosepipe ban checklist, and the wider context is set out in the guides to heatwaves and drought and to why UK summers are getting hotter and drier.
What happens next
The ban becomes legally enforceable at 9am on Monday 21 July 20251. Southern Water's "You Save We'll Pay" incentive scheme for businesses is due to launch in August1. No end date for the ban has been reported.
Hosepipe Ban Rules
Hosepipe Bans and the Garden
Pools, Ponds and Car Washing
Why UK Summers Are Hotter
Hosepipe Ban Fines and Reporting
Household Guide to Drought
