South West Water Hosepipe Ban: What It Means for Your Household
What happened
South West Water introduced temporary restrictions on hosepipe use across its region from 00:01 on Saturday 8 August 2026, according to the company's own announcement, "South West Water announces temporary restrictions for hosepipe use across the region." The company cited prolonged dry weather, significantly below-average rainfall and continued high demand, noting that England recorded its driest July on record and Southern England its driest month in records dating back to 1836. A local news report published 4–5 September 2026 confirmed the restrictions remained in force a month later, with the company saying the ban "is in place to allow our water resources and the natural environment time to recover following a very dry summer."
Who is affected
South West Water's official announcement lists five areas affected: Devon, Cornwall, parts of Dorset, parts of Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly.
What you can and can't do
Under the restrictions, South West Water states customers must not use a hosepipe for watering gardens, washing cars, patios or boats, or filling swimming and paddling pools. Normal indoor use — drinking, sanitation and cooking — is unaffected, per the company's own announcement.
How long it's expected to last
As of the 4–5 September 2026 local news report, South West Water had not given a firm end date, saying the restrictions would stay in place until water resources and the environment had time to recover, with lifting dependent on how quickly storage levels rebuild. The report noted restrictions could extend "into the autumn and potentially beyond, depending on rainfall and the condition of local water resources."
Compensation
No compensation applies specifically for being under a hosepipe ban (Temporary Use Ban) — this is a demand-restriction measure under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, separate from a formal Emergency Drought Order, which carries its own compensation provisions for interrupted essential supplies. A standard hosepipe ban does not interrupt your water supply itself, so Guaranteed Standards Scheme payments for supply interruptions do not apply here.
Worth having in before restrictions get tighter
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 →- South West Water — "South West Water announces temporary restrictions for hosepipe use across the region" (official announcement)
- South West Water — Temporary ban on water use, full statutory notice (PDF, August 2026)
- "Hosepipe ban could remain in place for months", local news report, 4–5 September 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.
Inpress Plastics 5L Water Container
Drinking
Purpose: efficient storage for larger gaps with limited cupboard space. Empty, refillable 5L container, food-quality polyethylene, rectangular shape for efficient stacking.
x10 Vira Safe Hand Sanitiser (500ml)
Hygiene
Purpose: basic hygiene cover when water is limited, per government guidance. 70% alcohol, UK-made, contains Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.