Southern Water applies for Drought Order and Non-Essential Use Ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Southern Water submitted a precautionary application to DEFRA on Friday 31 July 2025 for a Drought Order covering the River Test and a Non-Essential Use Ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight¹. The company said the application followed the Environment Agency's declaration that both areas are officially in drought, with river levels remaining low¹.

The company said the move was triggered by the drought declaration and low flows, not by an immediate failure of supply. A Drought Order, it said, would allow it to keep taking water from the Test to keep customers' taps running, without permitting any increase in the volume abstracted: the same amount could be taken even if river flows are lower¹. A Non-Essential Use Ban is described as the next level of drought restrictions after a hosepipe ban, applying to business and commercial activities that use large amounts of water but are not considered essential¹. Southern Water stated that making an application does not mean the measures will need to be introduced¹.

Public notices were published in local media on 31 July, with the statutory consultation period running from 4 to 11 August¹. The company also reported that leakage is down 23% since 2023 and that it has repaired over 4,000 leaks since January, equating to 40 million litres of water a day in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight¹. It said longer-term work includes the first new reservoir to be built in the South East in 30 years, in partnership with Portsmouth Water, planned water recycling technology, and another reservoir in Oxfordshire with Thames Water¹. Any drought measures would be subject to extensive environmental monitoring and controls, it said¹.

Why it matters for households

Households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are the group affected, and the application itself changes nothing immediately: Southern Water describes both measures as precautionary and says the application does not mean they will be introduced¹. The Non-Essential Use Ban, if implemented, would fall on business and commercial water users rather than domestic supplies, and would sit a level above the existing hosepipe ban¹. The Drought Order relates to abstraction from the River Test and would not raise the amount taken, only preserve the existing volume when flows are low¹. The stages by which drought is declared in England, and what each stage means, are set out in the guide to how drought is declared in England and what each stage means; the restrictions that can follow are covered in drought permits, orders and emergency rota cuts. Households preparing for restrictions can use the water shortage and hosepipe ban checklist, and garden and allotment watering is covered in watering the garden, allotment and new lawn in a hosepipe ban. The company's own drought planning, and how customers can respond to it, is set out in water company drought plans: what they say and your say. Southern Water thanked customers and stakeholders for avoiding hosepipe use and making small changes at home, which it said were helping reduce pressure on the River Test¹.

What happens next

The statutory consultation runs from 4 to 11 August¹. DEFRA's decision on the application has not been reported. Whether either measure will be introduced, and from what date, has not been announced¹.