Call for communities to come together as water restrictions announced for Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Households across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being asked to ditch their hosepipes from today – to protect our environment and keep taps running through the hot summer.
A Temporary Use Ban – commonly known as a hosepipe ban – follows the driest spring in over 100 years, and the warmest June on record, putting our rivers under serious strain.
This action comes after similar moves by other English water companies.
In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the Test and Itchen chalk streams supply most of our water, but are at critically low levels, down 24% on normal flows for this time of year.
With the Environment Agency today declaring the Solent and South Downs in ‘prolonged dry weather’, we must protect these precious river ecosystems and make sure there is enough water to go round, by taking action now.
That’s why we’re asking for the help of our communities to no longer use hosepipes for activities like watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars. By doing this, alongside our ongoing round-the-clock work to reduce leaks and optimise our water supply works, reservoirs and underground pipelines, we can work together to make a big difference.
A hosepipe uses 1,000 litres of water an hour – that’s one person’s weekly water use in just 60 minutes. Simple swaps like using a watering can or bucket instead will bring usage down quickly.
Our Water Managing Director Tim McMahon said:
“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.
“In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest. We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic Salmon and Southern Damselfly.
“Our teams are working 24/7 to find and fix leaks faster than ever, using a wide range of innovative solutions like drones, sensors and even sniffer dogs, and are ensuring that our pipes, reservoirs and water supply works are working as efficiently as possible – but sadly this is not enough.
“We really need your help too so we can reduce use, and setting aside hosepipes can make a huge difference. Only by working together can we make sure there’s enough water to go around for customers and the environment. Thank you for your support.”
In the last year, we reduced leakage by almost 20 per cent, fixing more than 7,000 leaks and saving millions of litres of water in Hampshire alone. And we’re set to repeat this progress this year.
Longer term, we’re working hard to deliver new sources of water for Hampshire which will reduce our reliance on the Test and Itchen rivers - delivering the biggest infrastructure programme in our history, including 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 companies.
Although the ban will be legally enforceable from 9am on Monday 21 July 2025, we’re asking our household customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to support this action immediately and avoid a “spike” in demand now which could make the situation worse and put water supplies at risk.
We are also asking businesses to support this collective effort, with a new ‘You Save We’ll Pay’ incentive scheme due to launch in August.
There are exemptions to the ban, including for Priority Services Register and WaterSure customers with mobility or health needs, such as Blue Badge holders.
For all of the details, including a postcode checker to see if this affects you, a list of exemptions, and water saving tips, please visit our website.