Southern Water lifts hosepipe ban for Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Southern Water has announced an end to the hosepipe ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The restriction on household water use was put in place in July following record dry and hot weather across the UK.

Southern Water lifted the ban on Friday following wet weather in September and October.

It comes a day after the national drought group – which includes the Met Office, regulators, government, water companies, and other organisations – urged the public to use water wisely, warning drought conditions are likely to continue into 2026.

The recent wet weather has helped ease shortages but officials said that without sustained and widespread precipitation in the coming months, a consistent recovery from drought remains uncertain going into winter.

Southern Water said the restrictions in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight helped reduce pressure on two internationally important chalk streams in the area – the Test and Itchen rivers, which supply drinking water to most Hampshire and Isle of Wight customers.

Utilities often increase their abstraction of water from rivers to help meet demand during dry periods as reservoir levels decline due to low rainfall.

The rare wildlife and ecosystems in chalk streams are becoming dangerously at risk as water levels decline because of increasing pressure from climate change and human demand.

Tim McMahon, Southern Water’s director of water, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to our customers for their support and understanding during this challenging time.

“By working together, we’ve not only saved millions of litres of water each day, but also helped protect our precious chalk streams.

“This is a great example of how working together can make a real difference to our environment.”

Mr McMahon said Southern Water is investing heavily to build a more resilient water supply, which includes developing alternative water resources, such as the UK’s first new reservoir in more than 30 years at Havant Thicket and a series of water recycling projects.