July 2025
The Wessex Water region is experiencing one of the driest periods in recent history. With temperatures rising, water demand has increased by up to 15%.
Groundwater levels and river flows are below average for the time of year and reservoir levels are notably below average and continuing to decline.
We’re not planning a hosepipe or non-essential use ban at this stage, but we do need our customers to use water wisely.
We’re asking water retailers to encourage water saving and reduce water wastage by non-household customers. The developing drought situation raises the importance of the need to tackle suspected leaks promptly.
Many retailers offer water saving and leak reduction support, and we urge non-household customers to engage in these services this summer.
Wasting water – especially during drought conditions – can harm the environment and reduce supply resilience for everyone. Under Section 73 of the Water Industry Act (1991), knowingly wasting water is an offence, and we may require repairs to be made.
We have two initiatives we’d like to invite retailers and non-household customers to participate in:
We can repair leaking toilets, taps and inefficient urinal controls at no cost to the customer, ideal for premises with high footfall.
To support retailers and businesses who might be still be developing their capability in site network leak detection we are keen to offer a free training session. We anticipate being able to offer a webinar option and/or in-person training. This training will include:
The training would be particularly suitable for facilities/site managers.