Wessex Water has announced a hosepipe ban affecting residents in Bath and the wider Somerset region, marking its first such restriction in 50 years. The ban will take effect from midnight on Tuesday and applies to all 1.4 million customers served by the company across Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire.
This unprecedented move follows several weeks of hot, dry weather that have placed severe strain on water supplies throughout the UK. The firm attributes the ban to record levels of water demand combined with continued hot conditions and a lack of significant rainfall forecasts.
Wessex Water last enforced a hosepipe ban during the famously dry summer of 1976. The current restriction means that over 27 million people across England now face limitations on hosepipe use.
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The company continues to provide sewerage services in regions including Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and parts of Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), Sedgemoor, and Mendip.
The decision to impose the ban coincides with the UK’s fifth heatwave of the summer, highlighted by the hottest day of the year at Kew Gardens, London, where temperatures soared to 38.1C. The extended dry spell has left large areas of the country parched, while also adversely affecting wildlife, agriculture, and placing additional burdens on emergency services combating wildfires.
Some relief is anticipated later in the week, as fresher conditions and possible rain or thunderstorms are forecast in parts of the UK. However, the Met Office warns that certain areas may still miss out on the expected wetter weather.
Ruth Jefferson, chief executive of Wessex Water, explained: “After 50 years without a hosepipe ban in our region-the first since the drought of 1976-this is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. We are sorry for the inconvenience it will cause our customers.”
She praised customers who have already been conserving water, saying their efforts have made a significant difference. However, ongoing extreme dry weather has seen daily demand consistently exceed 400 million litres, 30% above average, equating to nearly half a million hosepipes running for an hour every day.
“While we are not running out of water for essential use, the challenge lies in moving water through the network quickly enough to meet these unprecedented demands,” Mrs Jefferson added. “This also affects our underground storage reservoirs, which normally replenish rapidly with treated water.”
Wessex Water is engaging with large business customers who are high water users, urging them to avoid non-essential water usage. The company also encourages all households to continue simple water-saving measures such as allowing lawns to go brown, using watering cans for plants, keeping showers short, and avoiding car washing during this dry spell.
Meanwhile, warm conditions are expected to persist in many areas on Monday, with a yellow heat health alert in place until 9am Tuesday for the South East, South West, and London. Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan noted that while rain is not guaranteed everywhere, the south of England is likely to experience the most changeable weather since late June.
A jet stream currently positioned to the north has allowed high pressure to dominate much of the UK, causing the recent hot weather. This jet stream is forecast to move southwards, allowing low pressure systems to bring a more variable and unsettled weather pattern through midweek.
Showers and a mix of sunshine and rain are expected to become increasingly widespread by Thursday, signalling a potential end to the prolonged dry and hot spell.