Essex news for Thames Water customers: a hosepipe ban will start on Thursday for more than 10 million people across London and the Thames valley. Nevil Muncaster said the company would not take the step unless it was necessary to protect water supplies for everyone and the environment.
The restriction adds to a wider limit that will affect about 23 million people across England and Wales by the weekend. South East Water is extending its ban on Saturday to 2.4 million customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.
Thames Water and South East Water
Thames Water said its region had 40% of the usual rainfall during spring, while demand for water was 10% higher than normal in the Thames valley and home counties and 7% higher in London. The company said that extra demand amounted to 100m litres a day, equal to adding the entire city of Manchester to the network.
Before Tuesday, five other water companies had already imposed hosepipe bans. The National Drought Group said eight areas in England were in prolonged dry weather on Tuesday: East Anglia, the West Midlands, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and London, Wessex, Thames, and Solent and the South Downs.
Paul Tompkins and National Farmers
Paul Tompkins said farmers and growers across the country were working around the clock to harvest crops which have come early, keep fruit and vegetables watered, and care for their livestock. He also said many arable farmers faced another difficult and expensive harvest after extreme weather impacts in both 2024 and 2025, which saw both drought and flood.
That pressure sits alongside a wider water picture that remains tight. The National Drought Group said drought now seemed inevitable, with only 13% of rivers classed as at normal levels for the time of year and national reservoir storage at 78.8%, about 5% lower than the long-term average.
Thursday for Thames Water
For customers, the immediate change is simple: hosepipe use will be restricted once the Thames Water ban begins on Thursday, and South East Water's extension follows on Saturday. The clearest read for households and growers is that the restrictions are spreading before supplies recover, and the duration of the bans has not been set out.
