Important information in your area

June 2025

“The Met Office is forecasting a big rise in temperatures over the next few days. When it’s hot, we all use more water - to stay cool, stay hydrated or water plants and sports pitches.

But when lots of people use water at the same time, it puts pressure on our network. Water gets used faster than we can refill our storage tanks and pump through the pipes - and this can lead to lower water pressure in your area.

We need your help to use water wisely this summer - small changes make a big difference. Let’s keep the water flowing for everyone.

What can you do to help?

There are a few simple things that you can do that will have a massive impact on your water supply:

• Avoid using irrigation systems or sprinklers to water sports pitches, golf courses or gardens.
• Stop urinals running overnight when not required.
• Check for leaks on your network.

What we’re doing to help

When demand is high, we keep our storage tanks topped up and run our pumps at full capacity. We’ve also upgraded parts of our network so we can move water around more efficiently and get it where it’s needed most.

If you’re experiencing low water pressure, please see our alerts page to see which areas are currently affected.

October 2025

There is continued focus on the area of Sussex supplied by South East Water due to the declining water levels at Ardingly Reservoir.

Despite improving conditions in north-west England due to recent rainfall, drought risks in parts of the south-east continue to increase. It has been a very dry week across England, with less than 1mm received in most regions. This means October rainfall has been low, with England having received only 25% of the long-term average rainfall for the month so far. Overall reservoir storage for England has decreased, and continues to fall across the south-east, east and south-west England in particular. With widespread wet weather conditions expected over the weekend and potentially into next week, forecast reservoir levels are likely to stabilise, although further decreases may occur in some areas.

Above average rainfall in September has brought improvements or stabilisation in the water situation for some water companies, but further significant rainfall over a sustained period is needed to return to normal conditions. The return to dry conditions this week puts further focus on the need to continue to manage demand for water and water resources carefully over the autumn and into winter. The four water companies who have implemented Temporary Use Bans (TUBs), will need to keep these on, until their resource position has returned to normal – this may stretch well into the winter. With wetter weather and cooler temperatures, increased soil movement should be expected, causing leakage from pipe bursts, so all water companies need to continue with enhanced leakage management.

September rain has helped with public water supply reservoir storage, particularly in parts of northern England. However, reservoir stocks across England for the period ending 14 October were 63.5%, a decrease of over 2% since the previous week. Reservoir levels fell at over three quarters of reservoirs or reservoir groups. South East Water’s Ardingly reservoir in Sussex has dropped to very low levels and now has under 26% of total storage remaining.

Although recent rainfall has eased some pressure on agriculture, persistent drought conditions and high soil moisture deficits raise concerns about winter reservoir refill for irrigation next year. Drier conditions and low river flows in the south and east mean that hands off flow restrictions on abstraction licences remain. There are currently 465 restrictions in force on abstraction licences (an increase of 1 from last week).

There was a slight increase in environmental incidents this week. There were 4 new reports of dry weather-related environmental incidents, spread out across the country.

The Canal & Rivers Trust network is seeing canals reopen, with key lock flights on the Oxford and Grand Union Canals now available for cruising, although these and others have restricted hours of operation in order to conserve water. Many of the Trust’s reservoirs have failed to show appreciable refill so some closures remain in place.

Read the Environment Agency's full dry weather and drought briefing.

June 2025

"Water levels in reservoirs have fallen to an average of 77% this week, 13% below the average for this time of year and 16% below levels this time last year. Scottish Water is continuously monitoring the levels of storage throughout the country to maintain supplies. Although demand for water has reduced by about 60 million litres per day after our request last week, it is still at elevated levels.

"There is some rain forecast for this coming weekend however, it will take a sustained period of rain to recover to normal levels. In the meantime Scottish Water is working to ensure it can maintain public water supply to customers in parts of the country affected by increased peak water use and is using tankers to supplement normal water supplies in some areas such as: Gullane, Aberlady in East Lothian; areas north of Aberdeen such as Potterton, Middleton Park, and Belhelvie; Maybole, Turnberry and Maidens in South Ayrshire; Kippen and Balfron in west Stirlingshire; and the Strathpeffer area in Ross-shire. We are also taking other action in some parts of the country, including supplementing borehole supplies from the River Spey by pumping water directly from the river to maintain normal supplies in Moray.

"Alex Plant, Scottish Water’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re working hard to maintain normal supplies for all customers and would ask that they use water efficiently to protect this precious resource. “Scotland’s climate is clearly changing and, as a country, we need to ensure we adapt both by investing appropriately in water infrastructure, which Scottish Water is doing, and ensuring we do what we can to use water more efficiently in our homes and businesses."

September | July

September 2025

"To help us ensure there's enough water for everyone, we applied for a Drought Permit from the Environment Agency (EA), at our Ardingly reservoir. This has just been granted.

This will help in two ways:

• When river flows are high enough in the Upper Ouse, we can take water that is above the minimum threshold earlier than our licence allows (usually 1 November), to help refill Ardingly reservoir sooner.
• Our licence requires us to release a set amount of water into the Shell Brook (the stream) from the reservoir, because the reservoir by design holds water preventing a natural flow to the stream. This is called the compensation release. We can reduce the amount of this compensatory release to a quarter of what it is usually.

Why do we need to do this?

This year has been exceptionally dry, with the south east experiencing the driest spring since 1893 and hottest summer on record. The extremely dry weather and multiple heatwaves have had an impact on our water resources, and the rivers we take water from are running low. Our reservoirs are also much lower than we'd expect at this time of year.

A drop in temperature, and more wet weather than we have seen since January, has been a welcome shift. However, the natural water cycle and where your water comes from means water storage is not always as quick to react.

What we've done so far

We've worked hard to keep the taps flowing, by moving water around our network and finding and fixing leaks quicker than ever before. Since April, we have repaired 12,326 leaks, which is a 16 per cent increase on last year.

Our customers have also helped too, by being mindful of their water use where possible, thank you. We also enforced a hosepipe ban for customers in Kent and Sussex on 18 July, which has significantly reduced the demand for water, however it's still not enough.

What the water resources need

Usually we refill the surface reservoirs by taking water from local rivers (Ouse and Cuckmere). The rivers are still low and need a lot more rainfall to boost river flows.

So groundwater can replenish, the land above needs to be wet enough to allow rainfall to trickle through to the aquifers and this process can take months.

For our resources to fully recover, we need at least 80 per cent of the average rainfall between now and the end of the year.

What you can do to help

Hosepipe restrictions will stay in place, and we're continuing to ask that you use water for essential purposes only: drinking, washing and cooking. Thank you."

July 2025

“With temperatures continuing to rise and little to no rainfall in the forecast, demand for water is increasing across both our household and non-household customers. In one day alone, demand for water reached 680 million litres. This has led to stored water tanks across the South East getting very low and we’re struggling to replenish it fast enough for everyone. This surge in demand for water can cause interruptions to water supply as our network tries to supply all customers within our area.

We are aware that businesses use a large amount of water during peak periods and this can cause our household customers to receive a reduced supply of water. We would therefore ask that you encourage customers to reduce the amount of mains water they are using to ensure that we continue to supply our domestic customers.

Should the situation become more serious, we will impose restrictions on the amount of mains water businesses can use, such as restricting the flow and pressure to the premises during periods of peak demand. We would encourage non household customers to invest in alternative water supplies, such as rainwater harvesting so that they can continue to operate during peak periods of water demand in the future.

We appreciate that many NHH customers will deem their usage essential, however we would ask that all users take some time to consider whether there are any areas of non-essential usage that can be minimised during this period of high demand. Such usage includes irrigation (for both agriculture and gardens/lawns), vehicle washing, filling swimming pools, and operating ornamental fountains.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep you informed of any further developments. Thank you for your understanding and continued support during this time.”

July 2025

“As you are aware we have had a period of very hot and dry weather, with rainfall in June at only 38% of long-term average, following on from the previous three months all below average. This continues to put pressures on our water resources as our customers have increased their demand by 30%.

We have increased our communications with customers on socials, local newspapers and radio encouraging them to use water wisely. The details of this can be seen on our website 

Be water-wise during the hot weather | South Staffs Water

Be water-wise during the hot weather | Cambridge Water

Call for support

As before, we are still encouraging all water users in our region, including non-household users and NAVs, to also promote the need for water efficiency to their customers, through outlining the current weather situation and the impact on overall water resources. With a message to encourage businesses to be more conscious of their water use where possible.

We are aware that our non-household customers will use water in a variety of ways which is difficult to target messaging to. We strongly encourage the reduction of water use where it is possible. However, all businesses can be mindful of their domestic water use and we would encourage them to be water efficient in these areas in the same way we ask our domestic customers to be.

For more information on South Staffs current water resources, visit our website

Our current water resources | South Staffs Water”

July 2025

“Our region has experienced a very dry start to 2025, and while we’re closely monitoring the weather, it’s more important than ever to use water wisely in your business. Business usage accounts for nearly a third of all water consumption in England. Based on current forecasts, the UK’s water demand is expected to outstrip supply within the next 20 years

From 21st July 2025, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will move to Drought Level 2, and a Temporary Use Ban (TUB) will be implemented. At this stage, the impact on business customers is minimal, but your continued support in spreading the message and conserving water is vital to help us avoid further restrictions.

For our TUB Postcode Finder and FAQ please visit our website

Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) - Southern Water

September | August | July

September 2025

“Please keep saving water this autumn. Thanks for helping us save more than 5 million litres of water per day by putting away your hosepipes. Despite the recent rain, our water reserves and groundwater levels will take time to recover, and our hosepipe restrictions remain in place locally.  For our reservoir levels to return to normal, we need at least 70% or more of our average rainfall between now and early next year.

That’s because we’ve just had a summer described as ‘the hottest on record’ by the Met Office. In our region alone, we’ve had less than half the rainfall we would expect over the last few months. While the recent rainfall allowed us to take water from the River Thames to start topping up our reservoirs, it will take months of steady and prolonged rainfall for the dry ground, rivers and our reservoirs to recover. So, it’s essential that we keep going to protect everyone’s water supplies.

Check the restrictions

What we’re doing

We’ve got big plans to protect our network against extreme weather due to climate change and the challenges of a rising population. We’re moving forward with our plans to build a brand-new reservoir in Oxfordshire, which will produce up to 270 million litres of water for around 15 million people every day. We’re also working on a new drought resilience project in London. If you are unsure what is covered by our ban, check out our hosepipe ban exceptions.

Thanks for all your hard work to save water as we move into autumn. 
The Thames Water Team”

August 2025

“Due to a relatively dry July (50mm rain, 85% LTA) and a dry August so far (1.54mm rain until 4th, 2.4% LTA) there is an increased risk with our water resource position.

The soil moisture deficit remains drier than average. Groundwater levels at most sites are near normal but notably low in the Cotswold Great Oolite. River flows are below average for the time of year and reservoir levels are falling.

Demand has reduced slightly in recent weeks due to the milder weather.
As a result of an internal drought risk assessment, we are remaining at Drought Event Level 1 (DEL1) in all Water Resource Zones, with the exception of SWOX, where we remain at DEL2.”

July 2025

“Following the drought in 2022, we are providing regular updates for you on our water situation so that if we approach a drought in future we are able to provide a better level of forewarning. In order to do this we will be sending you these monthly updates that we also regularly provide to the Environment Agency. This update briefly sets out the current water resource situation and the level of risk we have assessed related to potential drought risk. We assess drought risk using our Drought Event Level assessment (DEL), this has levels ranging from DELO (business as usual) to DEL4 which is severe risk requiring potential emergency measures. At DEL2 we would begin to prepare and implement initial measures to address onset of drought.

Due to a dry June (32.5mm rain, 61% LTA) and a dry July so far (35mm rain until 21st, 60% LTA) there is an increased risk with our water resource position. The soil moisture deficit remains drier than average. Groundwater levels at most sites are near normal but notably low in the Cotswold Great Oolite. River flows are below average for the time of year and reservoir levels are falling. Demand is high, similar to 2022 drought event. As a result of an internal drought risk assessment, we are remaining at Drought Event Level 1 (DEL1) in all Water Resource Zones, with the exception of SWOX, where we are making a precautionary move to DEL2.

Further update - Monday 14th July 2025

“Thames Water will implement a Temporary Use Ban (hosepipe ban) for the Thames Valley region which includes areas with a postcode starting with OX, GL, SN and RG4, RG8 and RG9. The ban will come into operation on Tuesday 22 July 2025.”

For more information please visit our website

Thames Water announces Temporary Use Ban across Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire

June 2025

"We are writing to provide an update on our water resources situation, as you’ll be aware, we have been experiencing a prolonged period of dry, warm weather across the region and it has been the driest Spring since the 1950’s. Water levels in the North West’s rivers, lakes, groundwaters and reservoirs are currently lower than average for this time of year. We’ve continued to see the risk of wildfires across our region and other sectors, like agriculture and growers, are struggling with the dry ground conditions.

"There are a number of actions we are taking to help safeguard water supplies and protect the environment. To help encourage reductions in water use, we will be sending some direct communications to business customers (please see copies attached) and increasing our messaging through normal media channels, urging people to act now.

"During the warm weather, our teams have been cleaning and putting more water into supply to match the demand for it. At times, the extra water being used is equivalent to supplying a town the size of Blackpool and the Fylde coast area. Our water resources team and hydrologists are monitoring the situation daily, to ensure we manage and balance this demand in the best possible way.

"Our well tested plans include using our vast integrated network of pipes to move water around from one part of the region to another, where it is needed. Customers in some areas may notice some slight changes in the taste of their water as we move water around. While this may be a bit different, customers should be reassured that their tap water will continue to meet all stringent water quality requirements.

"We have also begun reducing water pressures in some areas. This is being done in line with BAU pressure management levels, and we are taking great care to ensure that sensitive customers are not affected. If any of your customers experience supply issues, please direct them to contact us on 0345 075 0713.

"We will have brought around a further 75 million litres of water each day into the system by the end of the month from sources that have existing abstraction licences. 

"We continue to find and fix leaks as quickly as possible, a task made even more challenging by the dry weather. As the ground dries out, it moves and this can cause some of our water pipes to shift and leak. Last week we fixed 900 leaks, more than we have ever repaired before in that timescale and we are at our lowest ever level of leakage. Since our last email explaining how dry it has been, we’ve seen a fantastic response and the number of leaks reported to us has significantly increased. We encourage everyone to report any leaks to us via our app, website or by calling 0345 672 3723.

"We have been sharing updates over the past few weeks and continue to urge everyone to act now and do all that they can to reduce the amount of water used, helping to manage the impact on their local environment and, in turn, if on a meter, saving money on both water and energy.

"Since April, we:

• have sent targeted information to more than 550,000 households and businesses in hotspot areas where demand was high;
• have sent over 2 million emails to customers across the region to ask for support in saving water where they can;
• contacted more than 160,000 households where we can see water usage has increased and could be due to a leak;
• switched daily messages on the regional ITV weather sponsorship to water saving information, reaching 4.2 million adults in the North West;
• are promoting water saving messages through On Demand TV, reaching 2 million people;
• are running daily information across commercial radio stations and have taken part in local BBC radio shows;
• have included messages in regional newspapers, with a combined readership of over 800,000;
• are using digital and all our social media channels to share our information and advice;
• have contacted youth groups across the Northwest; and
• are sharing our information with partner organisations across the region, including asking for the support of our supply chain in ensuring water is being used carefully across all operations.

"With some rain in the forecast, this may mean demand reduces and people may be tempted to think saving water won’t be needed. However, we need a few weeks of rainfall to help reservoirs recover to normal levels for this time of year so we are asking people to use less water where they can.

"We are working collaboratively with colleagues in Yorkshire Water to spread the messages about the impact of the dry weather, highlighted in particular by a spate of moorland fires on both sides of the Pennines.

"Thank you for helping us to save water."

July 2025

“Despite the dry spring, the overall water resources position (for both reservoir storage and groundwater levels) in our region remain at an acceptable level for the time of year. That said, we always encourage customers to use water responsibly to protect resources and the environment.

Whilst we are currently not expecting any water supply issues, we have implemented our usual customer communication, water efficiency and leakage plans to help conserve our resources of water. This includes the proactive steps taken during the dry weather to manage our supply network.

Please see the Wessex Water website for the following information:

• Water resources. for our monthly water resources updates
• Save water for water saving advice · 
• Drought Plan 2022 for our current Drought Plan

September update | September | July

September 2025 update

"Last week Yorkshire Water moved into Drought Level 3 as a result of the low reservoir levels. There are no current plans to implement non-essential use bans (NEUBs). This week we have seen the first increase in our reservoir stocks in many months as levels increased from 0.2% to 30.8%, although a modest improvement we are hopeful that the recent rain will continue to see our position stabilise over the coming weeks.

Drought permits have been granted on the Rivers Wharfe and Ouse, as well across North West and South groups, this will allow to take more water from rivers and help slow the rate of and decline across our reservoirs. Further permits have also been applied for in South West group, more information on this can be found on our website: Yorkshire Water - Drought permits"

September 2025

“This year has been exceptionally dry, with Yorkshire experiencing the driest spring on record. The dry and warm weather means that Yorkshire’s rivers are running low, and our reservoirs are around 20% lower than we’d expect at this time of year. 

Please see the below links for the latest updates:”

• Yorkshire Water - Watsit Report
• Yorkshire Water - Drought permits
• Yorkshire second region in England to move into drought status - GOV.UK

July 2025

“Our region has experienced a very dry start to 2025 and we're keeping a close eye on the weather, but it's really important to save water in your business where you can.

Business usage accounts for nearly a third of all water usage in England and based on current forecasting, it's estimated that the UK’s water demand will outweigh supply within the next 20 years. We’ve moved to Drought Level 2 and are implementing a temporary usage ban (TUB) throughout Yorkshire.”

“The temporary restrictions will come into place from 11th July 2025 for all Yorkshire Water customers.”