Car washes could be next after hosepipe ban if drought worsens: Water firms plan for worst-case scenario of switching off homes and erecting communal taps in the street

Daily Mail​

17-07-2025

Parts of England currently under a hosepipe ban could face next steps of businesses being forced to stop washing cars and cleaning windows if the drought worsens.
The latest ban begins tomorrow for South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex - joining the Yorkshire Water area which has had restrictions since last Friday.
Southern Water will activate its own restrictions for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Monday; before Thames Water brings in its ban on Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire.
Meteorologist Paul Hudson said a hosepipe ban normally results in a fall of 10 to 15 per cent in demand for water, according to figures from the water industry.
The Look North presenter told BBC Radio Humberside: 'It is the first step and there are further steps that will be enacted if it doesn't rain over the coming weeks.'
He added: 'The long-range forecast for July shows it's going to be yet another month of below-average rainfall. If we do not get decent rainfall in the coming weeks, then Yorkshire Water will have to move onto the next step in their drought plan.'
Mr Hudson said the next step from Yorkshire Water would mean car washes and other businesses that use large amounts of water would have their licence removed.
He explained that the aim of restrictions from the company was to 'try and slow the decline in reservoirs for a long enough period of time before, inevitably, the rains fall'.
The Government makes all water companies produce a drought plan, which follows Environment Agency guidelines on what steps are taken if there is a lack of rain.
Here are the five stages outlined in the Thames Water drought plan, to give an idea of what firms could be planning if the situation worsens over the coming months:
1) Impending drought
Firms which believe restrictions could be required generally begin with an awareness campaign in the media to tell customers about an impending drought.
People are encouraged to use water sparingly, and the message is put out through advertising on radio, newspapers, social media and other online channels.
2) Early drought
The early stages of a drought will see this campaign stepped up as customers are urged to reduce water use through advice and installing water efficiency gadgets.
The next step is a hosepipe ban – officially called a Temporary Use Ban (TUB) – which restricts the use of sprinklers and hosepipes in and around the home.
This prohibits uses including watering gardens, topping up ponds, filling paddling pools and cleaning cars – although vulnerable customers are given exemptions.
3) Severe drought
If the drought conditions worsen, then 'non-essential' water use for businesses would be restricted, meaning car washes may be forced to stop operating.
This ban, called a Non-Essential Use Ban (NEUB), could also stop activities such as cleaning windows at industrial plants and suppressing dust on construction sites.
The Government would have to grant a 'drought order' for these restrictions to be brought in, and customers would get at least ten weeks' notice.
The water company would also apply to the Environment Agency for drought permits to allow it to take more water from certain sources.
4) Serious drought
Additional measures could include stepping up actions to reduce demand and providing additional supplies to try to avoid reaching emergency restrictions.
The company would bring in widespread communications asking customers to make significant reductions in their water use, cutting it by nearly half.
There would be an aim for people to reduce usage by around 80 to 100 litres per person per day.
On average, customers use around 140 litres per person per day.
Bosses would also try to bring on additional supply, such as emergency raw water pipeline transfers, temporary desalination units and alternative sources.
These would be for non-potable use such as toilet flushing or watering crops - in other words, water that is not appropriate for human consumption.
5) Extreme drought
Thames Water said extreme measures would be the result of a drought worse than any on record going back to 1920, and the firm plans to 'never reach this level'.
But they could reduce water use through 'rota cuts', when usage is restricted at certain periods of time, and standpipes in the street for customers to collect water.
The drought plan notes that this would have a 'massive impact on society and the economy', and the government would need to grant an emergency drought order.
The last time homes had had their water supply replaced by communal standpipes in the street was in Yorkshire, Devon and East Anglia during the heatwave of 1976.
In addition, homes in Wales and western England had to make do without tap water for most of the day – and some firms were ordered to halve water consumption.
Yesterday, Southern Water became the latest company to bring in a hosepipe ban, to protect rare chalk stream habitat.
The company said restrictions on hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars would come in for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Monday.
It was the latest announcement by water companies bringing in hosepipe bans in response to the driest start to the year since 1976 for England.
Rainfall across England was 20 per cent less than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for the country, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency has said.
Drought was declared in East and West Midlands on Tuesday, with the region joining swathes of northern England in drought status.
Yorkshire Water became the first major water company to bring in a hosepipe ban which came into effect last Friday.
South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex from tomorrow.
Thames Water is bringing in a ban from next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire.
Before this month, the last water company to have a hosepipe ban was South West Water, which lifted its ban in September 2023.