Welsh Water becomes third company to impose hosepipe ban

Welsh Water has become the third company to announce a temporary usage ban after Southern and South East Water.

The hosepipe ban will come into effect from 19 August and affect around 60,000 customers living in Pembrokeshire in South Wales where the company said reservoirs “are approaching drought levels” following low rainfall during the spring and summer.

As with Southern and South East, customers are being asked not to use a hosepipe and avoid unnecessary consumption around homes and gardens such as filling paddling pools or using sprinkler systems.

Ian Christie, Welsh Water’s managing director of water services said such dry conditions have not been seen in the region since 1976: “Introducing the hosepipe ban is not a decision we have taken lightly, however if we are to make sure there is enough water to see us through the rest of the summer and into the autumn then we need to act now to try and prevent any further restrictions later on. The ban will apply to just over 2% of the three million population we serve in Wales. More broadly we do not intend to introduce restrictions more widely across our operating area.”

Low rainfall coupled with high demand during the recent hot weather has left water supplies under pressure across much of the UK.

Last week, Southern Water announced the imposition of a temporary use ban affecting around 1.5 million customers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that came into effect on Friday (5 August). South East Water’s ban announced earlier this week will cover parts of Kent and Sussex and will take effect on 12 August.

South West and Thames Water have both declined to rule out the need for formal restrictions in their areas if demand remains high and rainfall low. The longer term forecasts for August and September indicate the dry weather is set to continue.

This topic will be discussed in more detail at Utility Week Forum this November. For more information and to book your place, see our website.