Hosepipe restrictions are in place
To ensure that we can continue to supply water for essential use, we have introduced a hosepipe ban in Mid Devon and parts of East Devon and Dorset, the list of towns and the surrounding areas covered by the ban is shown below. Please use the postcode checker to confirm if you are affected. The ban came into effect at 12:00 (noon) on Tuesday 14th July.
Please help safeguard water for essential use by following these restrictions immediately.
Customers in the affected areas (see postcode tracker below) must not use hosepipes for non-essential purposes while the ban is in place. This includes using a hosepipe to:
- Water your garden
- Wash your car
- Fill a paddling pool, swimming pool or hot tub
- Clean your patio or driveway
- Clean walls and windows
You can still carry out many of your usual activities without a hosepipe, for example by using a watering can to water plants or using a bucket and sponge to wash your car.
There are some exceptions to the ban, which are set out by law. Please see a full list of exceptions here.
You may also be exempt if you have a health condition, disability or extra support need.
Check to see if your property is within the hosepipe ban area
Enter your postcode and check if you're in the hosepipe ban area.
Latest update 15th of July
Sam Bottomley, Water Services Director for South West Water, explains why we've introduced a hosepipe ban and what it means for customers.
FAQs and exceptions
Thank you for following the rules of the hosepipe ban. If you spot someone using a hosepipe, they might not be breaking the rules if an exception applies.
Some people and some types of water use are exempt from the hosepipe ban, meaning hosepipes can still be used in those cases.
These exceptions are often based on people having additional needs, requiring water to carry out a business activity, or using water to protect people or animals.
If one of these exceptions applies to you, we’d still ask you to be careful with water wherever possible, to help safeguard essential supplies.
Map of areas with a hosepipe ban
These towns and surrounding areas are covered by the ban:
- Tiverton
- Cullompton
- Bampton
- Honiton
- Dunkeswell
- Axminster
- Lyme Regis
- South Molton
The hosepipe ban is needed because of very high demand for water
These areas have seen exceptionally high demand for water in the last few weeks. Our water treatment works are producing as much treated drinking water as they can, but production cannot keep up with the exceptionally high levels of demand. The area has been using around 5.4 million extra litres of water every day, putting strain on the network.
We have seen a prolonged period of hot and dry weather, with record temperatures across the UK and heatwaves set to continue through the weekend and into next week. The hosepipe ban is necessary to ensure we can continue to supply enough water to meet people’s essential needs.
Our action to address the situation
Our teams have been working around the clock to manage the situation.
We have:
- Deployed additional tanker vehicles to transport water into the network from wider areas
- More than doubled the number of leak detection workers and repair teams repairing leaks in the area
- Made adjustments to reroute water into the network from surrounding areas under less stress
We only impose a hosepipe ban when absolutely necessary as we recognise the impact it has on customers. We will lift the restrictions as soon as we can.