Welsh Water has confirmed a hosepipe ban affecting 33,000 households across mid and south Ceredigion, parts of north Pembrokeshire, and north Carmarthenshire, set to take effect from 10am on Sunday, July 19. The temporary use ban follows several weeks of exceptionally high demand for drinking water, driven by hot, dry weather and an influx of summer holidaymakers.
Reason for the Ban
The affected area forms a single water supply zone served by two treatment works. According to Welsh Water, demand has remained significantly above normal throughout the recent warm spell, impacting treated water storage in the local network. The company reports that around one billion litres of drinking water have been put into supply daily over the past week—approximately 20% more than typical for this time of year.
Kit Wilson, Welsh Water’s chief customer officer, stated: “This has not been an easy decision, and we fully appreciate that these temporary restrictions will disappoint some customers, particularly during a period of warm weather. However, after several weeks of unprecedented demand, they have become necessary to help protect essential water supplies.”
Affected Area and Measures
The ban covers roughly 33,000 properties stretching from Llanon, Llangwyryfon, and Cwm Ystwyth in Ceredigion, across to Crymych, Llanfyrnach, and Nevern in north Pembrokeshire, and into parts of north Carmarthenshire including Farmers, Pencader, and Hermon. Residents can check their property using Welsh Water’s postcode checker.
Welsh Water has already taken extensive action, including operating treatment works at maximum capacity, moving additional water around the network, keeping local service reservoirs as full as possible, deploying its entire tanker fleet, and having hundreds of frontline colleagues work around the clock repairing leaks. Despite these efforts, demand continues to exceed what can be sustainably treated and supplied during peak periods, leading to depleting storage levels and increased risk of low pressure or interruptions.
Strict Rules Under the Ban
Under the temporary use ban, customers must not use a hosepipe to:
- Water a garden
- Clean a private motor vehicle
- Water plants on domestic or non-commercial premises
- Clean a private leisure boat
- Fill or maintain a domestic swimming or paddling pool
- Draw water for domestic recreational use
- Fill or maintain a domestic pond
- Fill or maintain an ornamental fountain
- Clean walls or windows of domestic premises
- Clean paths or patios
- Clean other artificial outdoor surfaces
Wilson added: “Over the past week we have been putting around one billion litres of drinking water into supply every day – around 20% more than we would normally expect at this time of year. Our reservoirs remain in a healthy position, but the challenge is producing, treating and moving enough drinking water through the network quickly enough to meet this exceptional and sustained level of demand.”
Duration and Further Information
The ban is a short-term emergency measure designed to reduce non-essential water use, protect local storage, and ensure reliable supplies for homes, businesses, and essential services. It applies only to the affected area and will be lifted as soon as weather conditions improve and storage returns to sustainable levels. Welsh Water says it will continue to monitor demand and weather conditions closely.
