Following last month's pausing of its River Test Drought Order application, Southern Water has announced it has now formally withdrawn from this process.
This represents the final step in the strict legal Drought Order process for 2025 - Southern Water said this puts an end to the unlikely scenario in which it would have needed extra powers to keep taps flowing in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.
The water company made the original application back in the summer as a precaution, following an incredibly dry first half of the year.
Southern Water said it had remained confident that the likelihood of a Drought Order actually being needed was very low.
If approved by government, it would have allowed the utility to continue to take water from the River Test, even if levels fell below current limits on abstraction. Southern Water set out a series of measures to help protect the environment at the same time the application was made.
Southern Water commented:
"However, thanks to increased rainfall in September and the water-saving backing of our customers, who continue to support our hosepipe ban, we paused the application on 22 September- and have now formally withdrawn from the process."
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