Three water companies in England have requested permission to impose stricter water use restrictions on businesses as the country continues to face widespread drought conditions. South East Water, Southern Water, and South West Water have applied to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to extend existing limits, which currently apply to households, to commercial users through so-called “non-essential use bans.” These measures could prohibit certain activities such as irrigation of golf courses and private schools, as well as commercial car washes.
Drought remains declared across eleven areas in England, with Yorkshire the most recent region to be added last week. Despite recent signs of improvement in parts of Wales—which was declared in drought in July—many rivers and reservoirs in England continue to experience historically low levels. Reservoirs are at an average of 54% capacity going into autumn, considerably below normal levels, with nineteen reservoirs or reservoir groups across England and Wales below half full. Eight of these are classified as exceptionally low, up from five in August.
The Meteorological Office has indicated that sustained above-average rainfall over several months would be necessary to alleviate drought conditions. However, September saw only about 65% of typical rainfall, primarily in eastern and southern England, exacerbating water scarcity concerns. So far, businesses in affected regions have not been subject to hosepipe bans, which have been in place for about three months for domestic users in drought zones.
The water companies’ requests include bans on certain non-essential uses by businesses to help curb demand. For example, commercial car washes can consume up to 25 liters of water per minute, a significant draw on limited resources. Southern Water, facing particularly low groundwater levels in Hampshire, has sought a drought order allowing abstraction below ecologically safe thresholds from the River Test, a chalk stream known for its rare salmon habitat. The company cited a "clear threat to supplies" for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as justification for this approach.
Environmental impacts of the drought remain severe. Defra reports that seven river catchments, including the Derwent in the northeast and the Tone and Hampshire Avon in the southwest, are at exceptionally low flow levels. Such conditions pose long-term risks to habitats and fish populations, particularly during spawning periods. Mark Owen, head of fisheries at the Angling Trust, called for further restrictions on non-essential water use and measures to reduce excessive leakage and unsustainable water extraction from rivers.
Reservoir levels illustrate the severity of the situation in specific areas. Ardingly Reservoir in Sussex, which provides water to roughly 280,000 people, is at just 20% capacity. Colliford Lake in Cornwall stands at 37%, while Wimbleball Lake in Somerset is at 18%, reflecting an ongoing strain on supply systems.
South West Water’s director for drinking water services, Sam Bottomley, described the region’s drought status as entering a critical phase. He emphasized that despite recent rainfall, river flows remain too low to replenish reservoirs quickly. Bottomley stressed the importance of demand management to maintain water supply until conditions improve, warning that drought recovery can take significantly longer than the duration of dry weather itself. The government has yet to announce a decision on the companies’ applications.