Hosepipe ban hits Wells, Shepton, Glastonbury and Street

By Laura Linham 26th Aug 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 6 minutes ago

People across Wells, Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Street will be banned from using hosepipes for activities including watering gardens and washing cars from Thursday.

Bristol Water is introducing temporary restrictions across its entire supply area from 00.01 am on Thursday, 27 August, in what the company says is its first hosepipe ban caused by drought since 1975. The company is asking customers to begin following the restrictions immediately.

The ban applies directly to all three Nub News patches. Bristol Water's own supply information lists Wells, Glastonbury and Street within one of its water supply zones, and Shepton Mallet within another, alongside communities including Pilton, Oakhill, Wookey Hole and Baltonsborough.

Once the restrictions begin, customers must not use a hosepipe to water gardens, wash cars, fill paddling or swimming pools and hot tubs, clean patios or driveways, or wash walls and windows.

Water can still be used normally for essential everyday purposes including drinking, cooking, washing and flushing toilets. Gardens can still be watered using a watering can, while cars can be washed using a bucket and sponge.

There are exemptions for some customers and uses. Bristol Water says the ban does not apply to people on its Priority Services Register who cannot make reasonable adjustments because of a health condition or disability, customers on its WaterSure Plus tariff, Blue Badge holders, uses needed to protect human health and safety, or water required for animal welfare.

The restrictions follow prolonged dry weather and low river levels across the region.

During dry periods, Bristol Water takes more than half of its supply from rivers, including water from the River Severn brought through the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.

The company said drought conditions have had a significant impact on the Severn, leading the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales to apply a drought order to protect the river.

More than 70% of England, including the Bristol Water area, has been declared in drought following one of the driest periods in recent years and five heatwaves this year.

Bristol Water's reservoirs were at 57% of total storage capacity on 18 August. The company operates four major reservoirs at Chew Valley Lake, Blagdon Lake, Cheddar and Barrow.

Richard Stanbrook, Bristol Water's director for drinking water services, said: "Introducing a hosepipe ban is never a decision we take lightly, and we fully appreciate the inconvenience it will cause."

He said the company had a responsibility to balance public water use with the needs of rivers, wildlife and habitats during the drought.

The restriction is the first drought-driven hosepipe ban in the Bristol Water area for more than half a century.

The last was introduced in 1975 after a dry summer which was followed by a prolonged period of low rainfall. A shorter restriction was imposed in 1990 for a separate reason, after a failure affecting the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.

Bristol Water said it is also increasing leak detection, maximising production from its treatment works and moving water around its network to maintain supplies.