South West Water Drought Order Application: What It Means for Businesses and Households
Ad: This page contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.
What happened
South West Water has applied to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for a drought order that would allow it to ban non-essential water use by some businesses in parts of Devon and West Dorset. The application date is not stated in the sources. Separately, the Environment Agency granted South West Water a drought permit on 2 October 2026 to support Wimbleball Reservoir on Exmoor. This is a permit, not a drought order. GOV.UK says it lets the company pause its normal compensation flow to the River Haddeo, provided it releases at least the same volume downstream to support abstraction from the River Exe. Per GOV.UK, the initial application was made on 16 September 2026 and an urgency request on 1 October 2026, and the permit is valid until 28 February 2027 unless withdrawn earlier. Wimbleball storage was 18% on 4 October 2026, compared with 30% a year earlier, which the Environment Agency described as "exceptionally low for this time of year". The reservoir serves around 390,000 people. Sam Bottomley, South West Water's director for drinking water services, said: "Applying for a drought order is a responsible step to help protect the environment and preserve the water we have available." (East Devon News, 8 October 2026)
Who is affected
Business and non-household customers in the proposed order area: Exeter, Exmouth, Crediton, Sidmouth, Tiverton and Honiton, plus a small part of Dorset including Lyme Regis. Households are not covered by the application. The existing hosepipe ban remains in place for all South West Water customers.
What you can and can't do
Nothing changes yet. If the order is approved, restrictions for affected businesses would cover: watering plants on commercial premises; filling or maintaining certain non-domestic swimming pools and ponds; vehicle washing; cleaning non-domestic buildings and premises; cleaning industrial plant; dust suppression; and other specified non-essential uses of mains water. Everyone is asked to keep following the hosepipe ban.
How long it's expected to last
No decision or decision date has been given as of the latest source (East Devon News, 8 October 2026). The Wimbleball drought permit runs to 28 February 2027.
Compensation
Not mentioned in the sources. No penalty for non-compliance has been published.
Worth having in before restrictions get tighter
WaterBOB Emergency Water Container
Sealey Battery-Powered Siphon Pump
x140 Kirkland Water (500ml)
Not sure how much water you'd need if this happened to you?
Use our free calculator to work out exactly how many litres your household should have on hand, based on who's in it and how many days you'd want to cover.
Use the emergency water calculator →Be ready for the next one: the UK Household Emergency Binder
Water cut-offs, boil water notices, hosepipe bans, power cuts, floods and frozen pipes, plus your own emergency contacts and kit checklist, in one fillable PDF based on official UK guidance.
See the binder →Preparing generally, not just for this incident
Whatever your own supplier and circumstances, the same basics apply: knowing how much to store, how to store it safely, and what to do if your supply is ever cut off.
Read our full guide to water supply interruptions →- GOV.UK / Environment Agency, "Drought permit granted to support Wimbleball reservoir", 8 October 2026
- ITV News West Country, 6 October 2026
- South West Water, "South West Water applies for non-essential water use restrictions due to pressure on local water resources" (page date not shown)
- East Devon News, 8 October 2026
Minimum requirements for all
x140 Kirkland Water (500ml)
Drinking
Purpose: cover your minimum drinking-water gap without a large storage footprint. 140 x 500ml bottles of natural spring water.
Purpose: efficient storage for larger gaps with limited cupboard space. Empty, refillable 5L container, food-quality polyethylene, rectangular shape for efficient stacking.
Purpose: basic hygiene cover when water is limited, per government guidance. 70% alcohol, UK-made, contains Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.