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Wessex Water imposes first hosepipe ban in 50 years as rain fails to ease drought across northern Europe

· Environment GBRNLDCHE
Part of European Drought

Wessex Water imposed a hosepipe ban on Tuesday across Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire — its first restrictions in 50 years — as drought officials confirmed 71.3% of England and all of Wales remain in drought despite incoming rainfall.

The utility's 1.4 million customers face restrictions after demand consistently exceeded 400 million litres per day, 30% above average. Thames Water reported household demand fell 3% in London and over 6% in the Thames Valley since its July 23 ban, though July rainfall in the Thames catchment was less than 1mm. The National Fire Chiefs Council recorded 1,132 wildfires across England and Wales in 2026, a record high.

Across northern Europe, forecasters warned rain will not quickly reverse months of deficit. The Netherlands faces a precipitation shortfall of approximately 310mm, while Swiss meteorologists cautioned that hardened soils may struggle to absorb downpours, risking flash floods rather than replenishment.

Story development

  1. Wessex Water imposes first hosepipe ban in 50 years as rain fails to ease drought across northern Europe
  2. Wessex Water imposes first hosepipe ban in 50 years as heatwave persists
  3. UK braces for rain and cooler temperatures after record heatwave and wildfires
  4. Stourbridge wildfire destroys 19 homes as 11 major incidents declared across UK
  5. UK sends emergency wildfire warning to millions and bans disposable barbecues
  6. Wildfires force airport closure and major incidents as UK blazes match annual record
  7. UK records hottest day of 2026 as 38.1C in London caps record-breaking heatwave
  8. UK prime minister convenes Cobra as drought grips 75% of England and heatwave intensifies
  9. UK upgrades heat alerts to amber as drought expands to 71% of England
  10. UK braces for fifth heatwave as drought deepens and death toll mounts

Covered by 20 outlets across 11 countries

Sources

The reporting this story is built on

bbc.co.uk GBR UK weather: Thunderstorms could bring risk of flash floodingnos.nl NLD Eindelijk regen na maanden van droogte: hoeveel helpt het eigenlijk?independent.co.uk GBR Heavy rain brings flood threat as ‘shock’ temperature drop set to hit UKstandard.co.uk GBR Rain in coming days won’t solve drought overnight – forecaster20min.ch CHE «Gibt bis zu 40 Liter Regen» – doch das bringt kaum Entspannung
Additional coverage

Others reporting the same event

metro.co.uk GBR Rain is coming but Met warns it won’t ‘solve drought overnight’inews.co.uk GBR Why heavy rain won’t end hosepipe bansdr.dk DNK Ni måneder i træk med mindre regn end normalttelegraaf.nl NLD Buienradar: veel regen op komst na warme perioden-tv.de DEU Endlich nass: Gewitter und Regen bestimmen das Wetterzeit.de DEU Schifffahrt: Regen entlastet Schifffahrt leicht - aber keine Entwarnungrtbf.be BEL Météo : avertissement jaune pour pluies abondantes sur la Wallonie et Bruxelles ce mercredi après-midiekstrabladet.dk DNK Onsdag kommer med regn til hele landet

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