Southern Water Imposes July 10 Hosepipe Ban on 1 Million Customers as River Test Flows Slump
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
Southern Water Imposes July 10 Hosepipe Ban on 1 Million Customers as River Test Flows Slump
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
Summary
About 1 million Southern Water customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will face a hosepipe ban from July 10, with the company urging households to stop using hoses immediately.
River Test levels have fallen to a critically low point after the warmest spring on record and a recent heatwave; Southern Water said June flows were only about a third of normal.
The restrictions are expected to last until autumn unless significant, sustained rain arrives, marking the first time Southern Water has imposed temporary use limits in consecutive years.
Hosepipes use about 1,000 litres an hour, so customers are being told to switch to buckets or watering cans, while exemptions cover Priority Services Register and WaterSure users with health or mobility needs.
Southern Water said it has cut leakage by 27 million litres a day and fixed 2,840 leaks since January, but argued more savings are needed to protect the Test and Itchen chalk streams.