Three water companies seek Defra approval for business bans on non-essential water use
South East, Southern and South West Water have applied for bans on non-essential water use that could reach golf clubs, private schools and car washes. Reservoirs stand at 54%, 21% below the autumn norm, and Defra has not yet replied.
The Board Room · Leadership desk
Wimbleball reservoir in Somerset is 18% full. Reservoir levels are at 54%, 21% below what is expected in the autumn. Eight reservoirs or reservoir groups in England and Wales are exceptionally low, up from five in August.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wimbleball reservoir, Somerset, full | 18% | 9 | |
| Reservoir levels | 54% | 21% below what is expected in autumn | 3 |
| Reservoirs or groups exceptionally low | 8 reservoirs | up from five in August | 8 |
What happened
- Southern Water is also seeking a drought order to draw from the River Test in Hampshire, even at levels below what is deemed ecologically safe.
- Nineteen reservoirs or reservoir groups in England and Wales are under 50% full, and eight are exceptionally low, up from five in August.
- England received about 65% of its typical September rainfall, with eastern and southern areas showing the greatest deficit.
Why it matters
- exposure Southern Water's application targets commercial premises and businesses generally, so the three sectors named in coverage may not mark the edge of who is restricted.
- decision Until Defra replies, a business that depends on mains water has to choose between lining up an alternative supply now and accepting the risk of a stoppage later.
- precedent A grant would end the exclusion that has kept businesses out of the hosepipe restrictions the public has lived under for three months, and we would expect suppliers in other drought areas to follow the template.
The bans are applications, and the government has yet to respond to them [4]. Permission from Defra is required before any restriction can be placed on a business [4]. The Guardian did not report a decision date or how much notice a granted ban would give. In our view that makes this a planning problem before it is a compliance one, because the lead time is unknown.
Each company applied for bans in parts of its region [1], so exposure depends on location as well as sector. The loss also differs by sector. A golf club or private school could be barred from using mains water to irrigate its courses and playing fields, while a commercial car wash could be stopped from operating [2]. A car wash's power hoses can use up to 25 litres a minute [13]. Run for an hour, one hose would use up to 1,500 litres [18].
Two of the reservoirs the Guardian names are at about a fifth of capacity. Wimbleball in Somerset, which serves 390,000 people, is 18% full [9]. Ardingly near Haywards Heath, which serves 280,000, holds 1.05bn litres against a capacity of 5.2bn [10], or about 20% [17]. Sam Bottomley, South West Water's director for drinking water services, said: "Every day we continue to draw on our reservoirs to keep water flowing to homes, businesses and communities while river flows remain below the levels needed to support public water supply." [15]
The case for waiting is that a ban is only an application, and Defra could refuse it. A refusal would not change the supply picture. According to the Met Office, every area would need seven sustained months of above-average rainfall to come out of drought [11]. That horizon runs past this quarter.
Pressure to widen the restrictions is already public. Mark Owen, head of fisheries at the Angling Trust, said the trust supports further restrictions on non-essential water use, alongside urgent action on leakage from water companies and unsustainable abstraction from rivers [16]. He added: "It makes little sense to ban people from washing cars at home while commercial car washes can continue operating." [14]
What to watch
- Defra's response to the three applications, including whether it limits the bans to named business types or areas.
- Whether Southern Water's River Test drought order is granted alongside its commercial-premises ban.
- The next count of exceptionally low reservoirs, which stood at eight against five in August.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap
- Insufficient
- Incentives50
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
South East Water, Southern Water and South West Water have applied to extend restrictions on water use to businesses via non-essential use bans in parts of their regions.
- [2]
Under the non-essential use bans, golf clubs and private schools could be barred from using mains water to irrigate playing fields and courses, and commercial car washes stopped from operating.
- [3]
Reservoir levels are at 54%, which is 21% below what is expected in the autumn.
- [4]
Permission from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is required for the bans, and the government has yet to respond to the water companies' requests.
- [5]
Businesses in drought-hit areas have been excluded from the hosepipe restrictions imposed on the public for the past three months.
- [6]
Southern Water is seeking a drought order that would allow it to draw water from the River Test in Hampshire, even at levels below what is deemed ecologically safe, citing 'a clear threat to supplies' in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
- [7]
Southern Water is seeking a non-essential use ban on commercial premises and businesses to reduce demand.
- [8]
Nineteen reservoirs or reservoir groups in England and Wales are less than 50% full, and eight are exceptionally low, up from five in August.
- [9]
Wimbleball reservoir in Somerset, which provides water for 390,000 people, is 18% full, holding 3.8bn litres against a total capacity of 21.3bn litres.
- [10]
Ardingly reservoir, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex, serves 280,000 people and is exceptionally low, holding 1.05bn litres against a total capacity of 5.2bn litres.
- [11]
The Met Office says above-average rainfall is needed over a sustained seven-month period to bring all areas out of drought.
- [12]
Last month England received about 65% of its typical September rainfall, with eastern and southern areas experiencing the greatest deficit.
- [13]
Power hoses in car washes can use up to 25 litres of water per minute.
- [14]
"It makes little sense to ban people from washing cars at home while commercial car washes can continue operating."
- [15]
"Every day we continue to draw on our reservoirs to keep water flowing to homes, businesses and communities while river flows remain below the levels needed to support public water supply."
- [16]
The Angling Trust supports further restrictions on non-essential water use, alongside urgent action to reduce huge leakage from water companies and unsustainable abstraction from rivers.
- [17]
Ardingly reservoir is about 20% full.
- [18]
One car wash power hose running for an hour would use up to 1,500 litres.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- theguardian.comBusinesses could be barred from non-essential water use amid supply threat
1 article · October 13, 2026
Topics and entities
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Entities
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsFollow
- South West WaterFollow
- South East WaterFollow
- Angling TrustFollow
- Southern WaterFollow
- UK Met OfficeFollow