Margaret Mullane MP would like to share an announcement made by Essex & Suffolk Water:
“Good afternoon, in response to the Environment Agency’s announcement of drought across the East Anglian area, we are introducing a Temporary Use Ban, commonly known as a hosepipe ban, across all our supply areas in Essex and Suffolk.
The restrictions will be legally enforced from 00.01am on Monday 3 August 2026, although we are asking customers to start reducing their water use immediately.
This follows months of prolonged dry weather, warm temperatures and three successive heatwaves, which have significantly affected river flows, soils and the wider environment.
July brought little to no rainfall across East Anglia, and a fourth heatwave is forecast this week. With hot, dry conditions expected to continue into August, the Environment Agency has declared half of England in drought, including Essex and Suffolk.
The warm, dry weather has also led to a substantial increase in demand, with us currently producing around 30% more water than usual. Reservoir levels at Hanningfield and Abberton were at a combined average of 69%, below the level typically expected for this time of year.
Although the ban does not officially come into effect until Monday, we are encouraging customers to follow the restrictions now by not using hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, patios or boats, or filling swimming and paddling pools.
We are the last water company in East Anglia to introduce temporary restrictions, and this is the first time we have done so since June 1997. This reflects the resilience supported by our £150 million expansion of Abberton Reservoir, completed in 2015, which increased water storage by 15 billion litres.
We also continue to invest in long-term resilience, including reservoirs, treatment works, pipelines, major Big Upgrade projects and £66 million for pipe replacements between 2025 and 2030.
Our operational teams continue to maximise production, move water to where it is needed most and repair leaks as quickly as possible. Reducing non-essential demand is now also essential to help protect supplies.
We are grateful to customers who have already reduced their use of hosepipes and ask all customers to continue conserving water during this period of drought.
The Temporary Use Ban includes a small number of exemptions to protect livelihoods and support vulnerable customers. Customers can still water gardens and grow fruit and vegetables using a watering can rather than a hosepipe or sprinkler.
The ban applies to domestic customers only. We are also working with retailers to support business customers in reducing water use wherever possible.
Further information on the restrictions, exemptions and frequently asked questions is available on our website: www.eswater.co.uk/temporaryuseban.“