Wessex Water has today announced a hosepipe ban after months of unprecedented dry weather, heatwaves and a continued lack of rain forecast, which has led to sustained high demand for water.

The company – which supplies 1.4 million customers in areas including Bath, and parts of Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire – has taken the decision after more than 40 days of demand for water remaining at record-breaking levels and the region formally declared as being in drought.

From tomorrow household customers must not use a hosepipe for activities such as watering gardens, washing cars, patios, paths and driveways, cleaning windows or filling swimming and paddling pools.

The ban marks the first time in 50 years that Wessex Water has introduced restrictions on water use, the last time being the drought of 1976.

Wessex Water Chief Executive Ruth Jefferson said the decision to put a ban in place comes from a combination of increased demand for water during the ongoing dry weather and longer-term forecasts meaning water resources must be protected for both customers and the environment

The firm’s repair teams have been fixing more leaks than ever this summer across its supply area, prioritising those that are wasting the most water. In the last month alone, find and fix rates for leaks have increased by more than a third.

Leakage has reduced by 60% in the last 30 years in the Wessex Water region and between 2010 and 2018 the company invested in a £230 million water supply grid, allowing it to move water quickly around the network to areas of need.

Ruth Jefferson said:

“After 50 years without a hosepipe ban in the Wessex Water region – the first since the famous drought of 1976 – this isn't a decision we've made lightly and we’re sorry for the inconvenience it will cause.

“We know so many of our customers have already been taking steps to save water and we’re incredibly grateful for their support so far this summer. It makes such a difference.

“But the prolonged and extreme dry weather has meant demand across our region has consistently remained at more than 400 million litres per day, 30 per cent above average for this time of year and the equivalent of almost half a million hosepipes running for a full hour every day.

“While we’re not running out of water for essential use, our challenge has been moving water through the network quickly enough to meet these record levels of demand. This also has an impact on our underground storage reservoirs, which normally replenish with treated water quickly.”

Wessex Water is contacting larger business customers who are high water users to encourage them to avoid non-essential use.