Energy · South West · ArchiveMidnight Hosepipe Ban Hits Entire South West as Reservoirs Drop to 69%Aired August 8, 2026 at 3:05 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00South West Water will expand [music] its0:01hose pipe ban to every area it supplies0:03from midnight tonight. The company0:05announced via ITV News as drought0:07tightens [music] across the country.0:09South West Water says it had no choice0:11and is acting to be proactive [music]0:13and sustain future supplies over the0:15coming weeks with half of England and0:17all of Wales in drought since [music]0:19last week according to ITV News. The0:21Environment Agency puts reservoir0:23storage in England at 69% [music] as of0:25August 7th down from 72% a week earlier0:28and nearly 12 percentage points below0:30the long-term average compared with 85%0:33at the end of June [music] which was0:34average for that time of year, a fall of0:36more than 15 points in 5 weeks. Southern0:39England [music] has just recorded its0:40driest month ever in a series going back0:42to 1836 ITV News weather reports with no0:45rain for 50 days in a row in Wisley0:47[music] and just 35% of expected summer0:50rainfall so far in East Anglia.0:52>> [music]0:52>> ITV weather notes rain this weekend will0:54be in the north with dry conditions0:56persisting [music] across much of0:57England and Wales and not much rainfall1:00forecast in the driest areas possibly1:02well into mid-August and beyond. At1:03Crockford Bridge pick your own farm1:05[music] in Surrey strawberries,1:06raspberries and blackberries have closed1:08down totally. And after four decades of1:10growing strawberries this year will be1:11the last there to preserve water for1:13crops that have a [music] chance, the1:14farm said via ITV News with some crops1:17between 30 and 40% down this year.1:19Restrictions are already visible beyond1:21the Southwest.1:22ITV News reports South East Water is1:25providing bottles as backup [music] in1:26parts of Kent after supply broke down1:29and canal lock gates in Oxfordshire have1:31been sealed until significant rain. The1:33pressure spans [music] from the1:34Southwest across Surrey and East Anglia1:37to Kent and Oxfordshire with the [music]1:38driest conditions concentrated in the1:40South and East. Another heat wave is1:42returning to Southern [music] and1:43Eastern England next week with1:45temperatures around 35° C1:47which won't help refill reservoirs ITV1:49News reports [music]1:50while the Met Office via ITV News says1:52temperatures will climb through the1:53weekend with parts [music] of the UK1:55potentially reaching 36° next week and1:57heat health alerts in place.1:59With reservoirs already nearly 12 points2:01below average and falling more than 152:03points [music] since June, the midnight2:05expansion test whether preemptive bans2:07can sustain supplies over the coming2:08weeks, or whether further bans and2:10emergency backup supplies will be needed2:12if 35 to 36° heat arrives without rain.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗