Overview
- Water companies have introduced legally enforceable temporary use bans this week, with Affinity and Southern starting restrictions from July 10, Anglian from July 11, and South West Water adding parts of Devon from July 14.
- Bans bar mains-connected hosepipes, sprinklers and pressure washers for non-essential outdoor uses while allowing watering cans, buckets, water-butt supplies and certain drip or trickle irrigation systems.
- Utilities report demand roughly 20% above normal and reduced inputs from key sources such as Grafham Water, and they have deployed short-term measures including tankers, extra repair and leak-detection crews, and redirected supplies.
- Enforcement is company-led under the Water Industry Act, with firms issuing reminders before fines of up to £1,000 for repeated breaches, and some publishers have released postcode maps showing exactly which customers are covered.
- Several firms exempt WaterSure customers and some disabled or priority-service customers from bans, a policy that has drawn political criticism for appearing to create unequal rules while companies say exemptions protect vulnerable households with essential needs.