Southern Water is calling on households across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to ditch their hosepipes from today to protect the environment and keep taps running through the hot summer.

The ban will be legally enforceable from 9am on Monday 21 July 2025 – however the company is asking household customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to support the action immediately and avoid a “spike” in demand now which could make the situation worse and put water supplies at risk.

Southern Water is also asking businesses to support the collective effort, with a new ‘You Save We’ll Pay’ incentive scheme due to launch in August.

A Temporary Use Ban – commonly known as a hosepipe ban – follows the driest spring in over 100 years, and the warmest June on record, putting rivers under serious strain. The action comes after similar moves by other English water companies.

In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the Test and Itchen chalk streams supply most of our water, but are at critically low levels, down 24% on normal flows for this time of year.

With the Environment Agency today declaring the Solent and South Downs in ‘prolonged dry weather’, the water company said it was taking action now to protect precious river ecosystems and make sure there is enough water to go round.

Soujthern Water is asking for the help of customers to no longer use hosepipes for activities like watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars. By doing this, alongside ongoing round-the-clock work to reduce leaks and optimise its water supply works, reservoirs and underground pipelines, the water company said communities can work together to make a big difference.

Souhern Water Managing Director Tim McMahon said:

“We’re sorry we’re taking this step, but as other water companies have already done, we have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region.

“In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest. We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic Salmon and Southern Damselfly.

“Our teams are working 24/7 to find and fix leaks faster than ever, using a wide range of innovative solutions like drones, sensors and even sniffer dogs, and are ensuring that our pipes, reservoirs and water supply works are working as efficiently as possible – but sadly this is not enough.

“We really need your help too so we can reduce use, and setting aside hosepipes can make a huge difference. Only by working together can we make sure there’s enough water to go around for customers and the environment.”

In the last year, Southern Water has reduced leakage by almost 20 per cent, fixing more than 7,000 leaks and saving millions of litres of water in Hampshire alone.

Longer term, the utility said it is working hard to deliver new sources of water for Hampshire which will reduce our reliance on the Test and Itchen rivers - delivering the biggest infrastructure programme in its history, including the UK’s first new reservoir in 40 years, the UK’s first water recycling plant, and major new water transfer projects with neighbouring water companies.