Welsh Water has warned it is likely to introduce a hosepipe ban for parts of Wales this weekend as weeks of no rain and heatwave conditions put pressure on services. The company said the emergency measure is needed to protect essential water supplies and reduce the risk of customers experiencing low water pressure or interruptions to supply.
Affected Areas and Timing
The ban is expected across mid and south Ceredigion, together with parts of north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire. It will be introduced this weekend unless exceptionally high water demand reduces over the coming days. The affected area covers around 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.
Unprecedented Water Demand
Prolonged hot, dry weather has driven demand for drinking water to unprecedented levels. Welsh Water has been putting around one billion litres of water into supply every day during the past week – around 20% more than would normally be expected at this time of year. Despite reservoir levels remaining healthy, the company faces challenges in producing, treating, storing and moving enough drinking water through the network quickly enough to meet exceptional demand.
Operational Measures Already in Place
Kit Wilson, Welsh Water’s chief customer officer, said: “Our teams have been working around the clock for several weeks to keep water flowing by increasing production, moving water around our network, deploying our tanker fleet and repairing leaks as quickly as possible. Every available operational measure is already being used to maintain supplies.” He added that local service reservoirs are being depleted faster than they can be replenished, and unless demand reduces significantly, there will be no option but to introduce a hosepipe ban.
Customer Guidance
Customers are encouraged to avoid using hosepipes wherever possible, delay washing cars, patios and driveways, water gardens with a watering can instead of a hose, take shorter showers, turn off taps while brushing teeth or shaving, only use washing machines and dishwashers with full loads, and fix dripping taps where possible.
Final Decision Pending
Welsh Water will continue to monitor demand and weather conditions closely. A final decision on whether to introduce temporary restrictions will be made later this week based on water demand and the resilience of the local network. Any restrictions would be a short-term emergency measure, introduced only in the affected area and only for as long as the current period of exceptionally high demand continues. They would be lifted as soon as weather conditions improve and local storage returns to more normal levels.
