Wessex Water update – hosepipe ban introduced
Published: 17 August 2026
The decision has been taken after more than 40 days of demand for water remaining at record-breaking levels and the region formally declared as being in drought. It is the first time Wessex Water has introduced a ban in half a century, since the famous drought of 1976.
From Tuesday 18 August at 00:01hrs customers – in areas including Bath, and parts of Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire – must not use a hosepipe for activities such as watering gardens, washing cars, patios, paths and driveways, cleaning windows or filling swimming and paddling pools.
For information about the hosepipe ban please visit our website.