Wessex Water announces first hosepipe ban in 50 years
Wessex Water has announced a hosepipe ban for 1.4 million customers across Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, the first in 50 years, due to record demand and dry weather.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Wessex Water has announced its first hosepipe ban in 50 years, affecting about 1.4 million customers across Bath, parts of Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. The ban comes into force from midnight tonight, meaning households will no longer be able to use hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars or cleaning windows.
The company said demand had reached record levels, exceeding 400 million litres a day and peaking at around 450 million litres. Will Willoughby from Wessex Water said they had worked hard to avoid the ban but the current climate had driven customer demand beyond anything seen before. He added that storage was stable but the challenge was moving water through the network fast enough to keep up with consumption.
The ban does not apply to Bristol, which is served by a different water company. Residents are being urged to make small changes such as turning off taps while brushing teeth, letting lawns go brown, reusing paddling pool water and using watering cans instead of hosepipes.
The move comes after weeks of hot, dry weather and follows a similar ban announced by Thames Water for parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire last month. The last time Wessex Water imposed such restrictions was during the drought of 1976. Despite some overnight rain, forecasters expect more hot and dry conditions, so the restrictions are likely to remain in place for some time.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| More than 1,000 wildfires have been recorded across England and Wales this year, exceeding last year's total. | · | · | · | ||||
| Seven regions in England are in official drought conditions. | · | · | · | ||||
| A hosepipe ban will be introduced in Somerset from tomorrow. | · | · | · | · | |||
| Thames Water introduced a hosepipe ban in parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire last month. | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Crop yields were about a third lower than normal, and a third loss of the wheat crop in southern England and Wales would mean a 350 million pound shortfall in agricultural income. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| July was the driest month on record for England and Wales. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The government was urged to invest in adaptation to a one-in-500-year drought. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Wessex Water has not imposed a hosepipe ban for 50 years, since the 1976 heatwave. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Wessex Water may impose a hosepipe ban if demand does not drop. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Wessex Water reported water demand up by more than 30 percent. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Wessex Water supplies 1.3 million people across the region. | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC focused on the formal announcement, with a live interview from a reservoir. It highlighted the company's efforts to avoid the ban, the specific details of when it starts, and clarified that Bristol is not affected. The tone was factual and direct, giving the company's explanation for the decision.
- “We've tried our best. We've been working extremely hard to avoid the use of a hosepipe ban.”
- “So the ban comes into force at midnight tonight effectively, so one minute past midnight tomorrow morning.”
- “But not Bristol? Not Bristol, no.”
ITV News West Country reported on the pressure on water supplies before the ban was formally announced, focusing on the 30% rise in demand and the company's warning that restrictions could follow. It included practical advice for households and interviews with residents in Devizes, giving a community perspective on the drought.
- “We're now in unprecedented times with the weather everyone can see that it's been extremely dry and extremely hot for a long time.”
- “If we can ask our customers to help us with those small changes to have that big impact we'll do our best to try and avoid that hosepipe ban.”
- “Wessex Water say supplies while under pressure are currently stable but with temperatures rising later this week they are warning that households must look to make water savings if they're to avoid restrictions going forward.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.