The UK’s first hosepipe ban of the year has come into place – and it’s Yorkshire that’s been hit with restrictions.
Yorkshire Water has brought hosepipe restrictions into place over the weekend after the ‘driest and warmest spring’ in 132 years.
Our region has been declared in drought, with Yorkshire Water working for several months to find and fix leaks and move water via a regionwide grid system.
Residents have been encouraged to reduce their water consumption since spring, but a temporary hosepipe ban has been brought into force anyway.
It means that people in Yorkshire aren’t allowed to water their gardens or clean their cars with a hosepipe; fill or maintain paddling pools, hot tuns, cold-water plunge pools or swimming pools; and clean paths or patios with a hosepipe – among others.
Instead, locals are advised to use tap water from a bucket or water can, or use rainwater from a water butt.
Yorkshire Water’s director of water, Dave Kaye, said: “We are implementing the hosepipe restrictions now to help conserve water for the coming months and to protect Yorkshire’s environment. As a result, people are being asked to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.
“Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place.
“Our region experienced an extremely dry spring, which resulted in the region entering drought status in June. Usually, spring is a time when our groundwater sources and reservoirs continue to be topped-up by changeable weather, but this has not been the case in 2025, with our reservoir stocks falling since the last week of January.
“Of course, we have seen a few periods of changeable weather more recently, which helped slightly with the water resources picture. But these have been followed by constant high temperatures and more dry weather, which causes increased water usage. Between April and June, we supplied an additional 4.3 billion litres of water compared with a typical year.
“We’re grateful to our customers, who have been saving water where they can this year already. It is really important that we all continue to do so.”
What’s included in the Yorkshire hosepipe ban:
- Using a hosepipe to water a garden
- Using a hosepipe to clean private vehicles or boats
- Watering plants with a hosepipe on a domestic or other non-commercial premises
- Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming, paddling pool, hot tub or cold-water plunge pool with a hosepipe
- Using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use
- Filling or maintaining a domestic pond or ornamental fountain using a hosepipe
- Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe
- Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe
- Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe
For more information on what is included in the restrictions, go to Yorkshire Water’s dedicated hosepipe ban webpage.
Featured image: Unsplash, Steve Dimatteo
