Wessex Water Imposes First Hosepipe Ban in 50 Years Across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset

Wessex Water has introduced a hosepipe ban affecting many areas across Somerset, Wiltshire, and Dorset, marking the company’s first such restriction in five decades. The ban, which commenced at midnight, impacts approximately 1.4 million customers and follows weeks of persistently hot and dry weather that have led much of the country to be declared in drought.

This latest measure sees Wessex Water joining other regional suppliers, including South West Water and Thames Water, in implementing hosepipe bans to conserve dwindling water supplies.

The restrictions cover extensive parts of the region. In Somerset, the ban extends across West Somerset up to the Devon boundary, which is itself under South West Water’s hosepipe ban. Affected locations within the Wessex Water area include Simonsbath, Barle Valley, Oare, Sandyway, Hawkridge, Dulverton, Bury, Skilgate, Wellington, Minehead, Doniford, Wiveliscombe, Taunton, and Bridgwater.

Further north, towns such as Yeovil, Chard, and Ilminster have also fallen under the ban. Around Somerset’s northern boundary, the ban includes Bridgwater alongside Somerton, Sparkford, Castle Cary, Wincanton, and Bourton in North Dorset.

Wiltshire communities such as Warminster, Trowbridge, Bath, Chippenham, and Devizes are also affected. In Dorset, the ban encompasses southern areas including Dorchester, though Bournemouth and Poole remain exempt. Salisbury, meanwhile, is within the restricted zone.

It is important to note that some locations in Somerset, such as Burnham-on-Sea, Street, Wells, Glastonbury, and Shepton Mallet, are served by Bristol Water, which currently has no hosepipe ban in place. North Somerset is also supplied by Bristol Water and is not subject to the ban.

A spokesperson for Wessex Water advised customers uncertain about the ban’s applicability to their areas to utilise the postcode checker available on the company’s website for confirmation.