Severn Trent Water has confirmed that no hosepipe ban is currently planned for the West Midlands, even as the UK endures its third heatwave of the year. The company, which supplies the majority of the region's water, says its reservoirs are 80% full, placing it in a strong position heading into summer.
Heatwave and Health Alert
The Met Office reports that the UK is experiencing its third heatwave of 2026, with temperatures reaching up to 35°C in the southeast. In response, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat health alert for the West Midlands, effective from July 8 to July 12.
During such hot periods, water companies can impose Temporary Use Bans (TUBs), also known as hosepipe bans, to conserve supplies. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to £1,000. While some companies have already enacted bans—South East Water in Kent from July 3, and Southern Water in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from July 10—Severn Trent has not followed suit.
Reservoir Levels and Demand
Howard Perry, Water Network Operations Lead at Severn Trent Water, explained the company's position: "Last year we had a very dry year, and we lacked a bit of rainfall, so our reservoir levels got quite low. This year, we've been a bit luckier with the rain, so it's been fairly wet, and we had a wet winter. So, our reservoirs are 80% full across our region at the moment, which puts us in a good place into the summer."
Perry noted that water demand spikes during hot weather, rising by about 20% on hot days and up to 30% on extremely hot days. He added: "Other companies have already got restrictions or hosepipe bans in place. There's always a set of very detailed triggers behind the scenes for when those occur. Now, we keep those under review always, and we can't predict the weather, so if we get a very long, hot, dry summer and maybe a dry winter, then we could be in that situation. But, as I said, our reservoirs are in a pretty good place at the moment. Provided we get a normal summer and customers continue to use water sensibly and we continue to do all our work behind the scenes, then we are hopeful that we won't need to put restrictions in place. But we constantly keep that under review."
Water Conservation Tips
Perry also offered advice for customers to help conserve water: "All year round, we're always looking to reduce leakage as far as we can. If you ever see a leak, then report it to us. We'll try and get it fixed as soon as possible. The big one in customers' homes is, people may not know, the leakage there is part of our leakage, and it is the customer's responsibility to fix it. If you've got a leak at home, it can be as small as a leak in a toilet or maybe an outside tap, something more substantial, make sure you get those fixed. Just about using water, the simple thing you can do is take shorter showers that will save you on your energy bills quite substantially. And particularly in the hot period, if you've got a paddling pool, you can reuse that water, you can cover it up rather than filling it up every single day. Watering plants at the roots rather than spraying a hosepipe everywhere, and avoiding things like using a jet wash on the hottest day of the year. That will just really help that there's enough water to go around during the periods when everyone's using lots and lots of water."
Severn Trent Water reassures customers that current reservoir levels are healthy, but urges continued sensible water use to avoid potential restrictions later in the summer.
