Southern Water Hosepipe Ban Status 2026

Coverage Area

Southern Water supplies Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex. The Temporary Use Ban applies to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight supply area ONLY. Southern Water has confirmed the ban does NOT apply to its Sussex customers, and it does not apply to its Kent customers either.

Southern Water serves approximately 4.6 million; about 1 million affected by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight TUB.

Not sure of your supplier or whether your address is covered? Use the postcode checker. Official site: Southern Water Services Ltd.

Drought Outlook

Spring 2025 was the driest in 132 years and summer 2025 the hottest on record since 1884. Winter 2025-26 recharge in southern England was below normal. The River Test, which supplies most of the water used across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, is running well below normal for the time of year, and Southern Water describes its levels as critically low, around 25 per cent below normal for the time of year. The Test and Itchen are chalk streams, an internationally rare habitat that the company cites as the reason for restricting demand. June 2026 was England's warmest June on record (a provisional 37.7 degrees Celsius at Strumpshaw Hill, Norfolk, on 26 June, per the Met Office), and successive heatwaves drove peak demand to near-record levels across the Hampshire and Isle of Wight network. On 10 July 2026 the Environment Agency declared prolonged dry weather for the region. This is the second year running that Southern Water has declared a TUB for Hampshire and IoW; the 2025 ban ran from mid-July into October, which is a reasonable guide to how long the 2026 restriction could last if rainfall stays low. Sussex, supplied from different sources, is not restricted.

UK Lawn Care During Southern Water Restrictions

UK lawns are cool-season grasses (Perennial Ryegrass, Fescue blends, Bent). Under a TUB you can keep your lawn alive with selective watering-can use in the early morning. Raise mower to 50 to 60 millimetres. Stop fertilising entirely. Allow some browning. The lawn will recover when autumn rain returns. Sussex customers are not restricted, but the same technique saves water anyway.

See our keep your lawn alive under a hosepipe ban guide, and overseeding during a hosepipe ban for the September window.

Counties Southern Water Serves

County guides exist for the areas listed below. For any other part of the Southern Water area, use the postcode checker rather than a county page:

Not sure your area is covered? Is there a hosepipe ban in my area? or use the postcode checker.