Southern Water and Affinity Water Begin Hosepipe Bans Affecting Five Million Customers, with Exemptions for Some Low-Income Households

Southern Water and Affinity Water introduced hosepipe restrictions on Friday that apply to more than five million customers. The companies allow customers on the WaterSure tariff to continue using hosepipes during the bans. GB News reported that the restrictions follow three separate heatwaves reaching 34C in England this year.

Breaching the rules can result in fines of up to £1,000. The WaterSure tariff caps water bills for low-income households with high essential water usage. Applicants must receive benefits such as universal credit, pension credit, housing benefit or income-based jobseeker's allowance and either have three or more children under 19 in full-time education or a resident with a medical condition requiring significant water use.

Participants can save approximately £325 annually, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. WaterSure customers remain barred from using hosepipes to fill swimming pools, ponds or operate sprinklers. Southern Water and Affinity Water stated the exemption protects disabled customers from potential harm and prevents confusion over the rules.

Cambridge Water limits WaterSure exemptions to individuals whose disabilities make handling a watering can particularly challenging. Four additional water companies restrict exemptions to Blue Badge holders or those on the Priority Services Register.

" Kevin Hollinrake said: "It beggars belief that people getting reduced water bills at the expense of everyone else are exempt from this hosepipe ban.

The UK government expanded the WaterSure scheme earlier this year by removing the doctor's note requirement, adding 53,000 new recipients and bringing total eligibility above 300,000 people. The tariff was established in 1999.