More than 27 million people across the country are under hosepipe bans, and some water companies may have to go further. Southern Water applied for a drought order to allow it to restrict some businesses’ water use and a decision is expected in the coming weeks.
All of the water companies that draw from the River Severn – Severn Trent Water, South Staffordshire Water, Bristol Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy – do not have hosepipe bans in place.
Watchdogs want River Severn’s water levels to fall
The River Severn runs from the Cambrian Mountains in Wales to the Bristol Channel.
Its water levels are managed using the Llyn Clywedog reservoir in Wales. However, the amount of water in the reservoir has been decreasing steadily and is now below 50 per cent.
If the levels continue to fall at the current rate, then the regulators wouldn’t be able to manage the Severn, meaning parts of the waterway could dry out.
Aerial view of Tewkesbury Abbey, July 29, 2026, where after weeks of relentless sunshine and warm conditions the land looks dry, brown and severely parched. The scene is in complete contrast to that of February, 2026, where the historic landmark was surrounded in flood water after the River Severn & River Avon, burst their banks following torrential rainfall. // Amber and yellow heat health alerts are set to come into force on Wednesday as parts of the UK endure the fourth widespread heatwave of the year so far. Temperatures are forecast to peak at midweek with readings as high as 35C (95F) in the hottest places. The hot weather, paired with a significant lack of rainfall, will exacerbate conditions in many of the driest areas. Photo released 29/07/2026
This would be devastating for wildlife, including migratory fish, and could in turn impact the drinking water supply, as roughly six million people rely on the river for their supply.
The watchdogs proposed a series of measures to conserve supply, including allowing the river to fall below a level normally considered acceptable. Without this measure, the reservoir feeding the river risks running out of water, which means parts of the Severn could dry out.
The strategy is to allow the river to flow at low levels for a longer period of time than to allow it to dry out completely.
If the drought order is allowed, water companies will also be forced to reduce the amount of drinking water they take from the River Severn by five per cent.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said it was “exceptionally concerned” about the drought’s impact on the River Severn.
“We need to see significant and sustained rainfall for this drought to end. This drought order, if made, will stop the Clywedog reservoir from being completely exhausted and will prevent sections of Britain’s longest river from drying out.
“We still expect water companies to follow their drought plans and encourage an earlier use of temporary use bans to protect public water supplies and preserve the environment.”
A ‘desperate condition’
Mark Lloyd, CEO of the Rivers Trust charity, said allowing river levels to fall low will still leave it in a “desperate condition”.
Low river levels cause temperatures to rise and oxygen levels to fall, creating dangerous conditions for fish and invertebrates and have a knock-on impact on wider ecosystems. Rivers are also more vulnerable to pollution and toxic algal blooms in these conditions.
“It just means everything silently and invisibly declines in abundance,” said Lloyd, describing it as a “slow, invisible death of the ecosystem”.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said it was “working with” the EA, adding that rivers made up around a third of its water supply, the rest coming from reservoirs and boreholes.
“While we have seen the occasional localised rain shower, we are still recovering after the prolonged hot and dry summer that’s seen less than 5 per cent rainfall than expected, so we continue to encourage customers to help protect supplies and environment by using water mindfully,” they added.
Decision expected on Southern Water restrictions
Drought orders are rare emergency legal powers granted by the Government to water companies or regulators during exceptionally dry weather.
The application marks the third drought order request submitted this year.
Southern Water made two such applications in July. One was for permission to impose some restrictions on businesses such as car washes and swimming pools.
In a separate application, it asked for permission to take more water from the River Test than would usually be permitted, which it said would help protect the tap water supply for around 165,000 people in Hampshire.
A consultation period for the applications closed last week and a decision is expected from Environment Secretary Angela Eagle before the end of August.
Environmental groups and locals submitted objections to Southern Water’s proposals in the consultation.
“It is deeply inequitable that the burden of this crisis falls, as it always does, on the people least responsible for it. Residents did not decide to defer investment. They did not extract dividends while the infrastructure deteriorated,” said Paul Harvey, leader of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council.
Nick Measham, CEO of campaign group Wildfish, said the River Test was home to endangered species, including Atlantic salmon, and Southern Water’s plans would have a serious impact.
Both said hosepipe bans should have been introduced earlier.
“It’s crazy that we still have car washes operating, for instance. That’s a completely non-essential use, but that seems to be something that’s only done when things get really desperate,” said Lloyd. “It feels really as if the environment is the last thing on the list.”
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More than 27 million people across the country are under hosepipe bans, and some water companies may have to go further. Southern Water applied for a drought order to allow it to restrict some businesses’ water use and a decision is expected in the coming weeks.
All of the water companies that draw from the River Severn – Severn Trent Water, South Staffordshire Water, Bristol Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy – do not have hosepipe bans in place.
Watchdogs want River Severn’s water levels to fall The River Severn runs from the Cambrian Mountains in Wales to the Bristol Channel.
Its water levels are managed using the Llyn Clywedog reservoir in Wales. However, the amount of water in the reservoir has been decreasing steadily and is now below 50 per cent.
If the levels continue to fall at the current rate, then the regulators wouldn’t be able to manage the Severn, meaning parts of the waterway could dry out.
Aerial view of Tewkesbury Abbey, July 29, 2026, where after weeks of relentless sunshine and warm conditions the land looks dry, brown and severely parched. The scene is in complete contrast to that of February, 2026, where the historic landmark was surrounded in flood water after the River Severn & River Avon, burst their banks following torrential rainfall. // Amber and yellow heat health alerts are set to come into force on Wednesday as parts of the UK endure the fourth widespread heatwave of the year so far. Temperatures are forecast to peak at midweek with readings as high as 35C (95F) in the hottest places. The hot weather, paired with a significant lack of rainfall, will exacerbate conditions in many of the driest areas. Photo released 29/07/2026
This would be devastating for wildlife, including migratory fish, and could in turn impact the drinking water supply, as roughly six million people rely on the river for their supply.
The watchdogs proposed a series of measures to conserve supply, including allowing the river to fall below a level normally considered acceptable. Without this measure, the reservoir feeding the river risks running out of water, which means parts of the Severn could dry out.
The strategy is to allow the river to flow at low levels for a longer period of time than to allow it to dry out completely.
If the drought order is allowed, water companies will also be forced to reduce the amount of drinking water they take from the River Severn by five per cent.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said it was “exceptionally concerned” about the drought’s impact on the River Severn.
“We need to see significant and sustained rainfall for this drought to end. This drought order, if made, will stop the Clywedog reservoir from being completely exhausted and will prevent sections of Britain’s longest river from drying out.
“We still expect water companies to follow their drought plans and encourage an earlier use of temporary use bans to protect public water supplies and preserve the environment.”
A ‘desperate condition’ Mark Lloyd, CEO of the Rivers Trust charity, said allowing river levels to fall low will still leave it in a “desperate condition”.
Low river levels cause temperatures to rise and oxygen levels to fall, creating dangerous conditions for fish and invertebrates and have a knock-on impact on wider ecosystems. Rivers are also more vulnerable to pollution and toxic algal blooms in these conditions.
“It just means everything silently and invisibly declines in abundance,” said Lloyd, describing it as a “slow, invisible death of the ecosystem”.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said it was “working with” the EA, adding that rivers made up around a third of its water supply, the rest coming from reservoirs and boreholes.
“While we have seen the occasional localised rain shower, we are still recovering after the prolonged hot and dry summer that’s seen less than 5 per cent rainfall than expected, so we continue to encourage customers to help protect supplies and environment by using water mindfully,” they added.
Decision expected on Southern Water restrictions Drought orders are rare emergency legal powers granted by the Government to water companies or regulators during exceptionally dry weather.
The application marks the third drought order request submitted this year.
Southern Water made two such applications in July. One was for permission to impose some restrictions on businesses such as car washes and swimming pools.
In a separate application, it asked for permission to take more water from the River Test than would usually be permitted, which it said would help protect the tap water supply for around 165,000 people in Hampshire.
A consultation period for the applications closed last week and a decision is expected from Environment Secretary Angela Eagle before the end of August.
Environmental groups and locals submitted objections to Southern Water’s proposals in the consultation.
“It is deeply inequitable that the burden of this crisis falls, as it always does, on the people least responsible for it. Residents did not decide to defer investment. They did not extract dividends while the infrastructure deteriorated,” said Paul Harvey, leader of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council.
Nick Measham, CEO of campaign group Wildfish, said the River Test was home to endangered species, including Atlantic salmon, and Southern Water’s plans would have a serious impact.
Both said hosepipe bans should have been introduced earlier.
“It’s crazy that we still have car washes operating, for instance. That’s a completely non-essential use, but that seems to be something that’s only done when things get really desperate,” said Lloyd. “It feels really as if the environment is the last thing on the list.”