End of hosepipe ban for Hampshire and Isle of Wight
We are lifting the hosepipe ban which has been in place across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since July.
The restriction on household water use was introduced more than three months ago to help reduce pressure on the precious chalk streams of the Test and Itchen rivers – and make sure taps kept running following prolonged dry weather.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our customers for their support during this time, helping to save millions of litres of water every day.
This effort was boosted by wetter weather in September and October, and the 24/7 efforts of our leakage team who found and fixed around 1,700 leaks while the ban was in place – with leak repairs alone saving more than 17 million litres of water during that time.
The Test and Itchen – which supply drinking water to most of our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - are internationally important rivers, home to rare wildlife and delicate ecosystems, so reducing our need to abstract water from them during a very dry period has been critical in protecting them.
Tim McMahon, Southern Water’s Director of Water, said:
"We’re incredibly grateful to our customers for their support and understanding during this challenging time. By working together, we’ve not only saved millions of litres of water each day, but also helped protect our precious chalk streams. This is a great example of how working together can make a real difference to our environment."
Looking ahead, Southern Water is investing heavily to build a more resilient water supply for the future. This means developing alternative water resources, including the UK’s first new reservoir in over 30 years at Havant Thicket, a series of water recycling projects, and a network of water transfers with neighbouring companies.