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Statutory Notice Of Application For Drought Order
What is happening?
STATUTORY NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR DROUGHT ORDER
WESSEX WATER SERVICES LIMITED THE WATER RESOURCES ACT 1991
TAKE NOTICE that due to threat of a serious deficiency in supplies of water within the Wessex Water supply area, caused by an exceptional shortage of rainfall, Wessex Water Services Limited (WWSL) of Operations Centre, Claverton Down Road, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7WW is applying to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a Drought Order under Section 73 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
The proposed Drought Order, if granted, would authorise WWSL to prohibit or restrict specified non-essential use of water. The restrictions proposed are those prescribed by the Drought Direction 2011.
Details of restrictions
The Drought Order will allow Wessex Water to prohibit and limit the use of water within their supply area by nonhousehold customers for the purposes below:
Watering outdoor plants on commercial properties using a hosepipe
Filling or maintaining a non-domestic swimming or paddling pool
Filling or maintaining a non-domestic pond using a hosepipe
Cleaning non-domestic premises using a hosepipe
Cleaning a window of a non-domestic building using a hosepipe
Operating a mechanical vehicle washer
Cleaning any vehicle, boat, aircraft or railway rolling stock using a hosepipe
Cleaning industrial plant using a hosepipe Suppressing dust using a hosepipe
Operating a cistern in any building that is unoccupied and closed.
These restrictions would be in addition to the Temporary Use Ban (TUBs) restrictions that were placed on domestic customers activities on 18 August 2026.
Locations affected by this Drought Order
The affected area covers the whole Wessex Water supply area.
Application inspections
Anyone may inspect these proposals, free of charge, at the following locations during the specified times, up to and including 13 November 2026 at:
Wessex Water Operations Centre, Claverton Down Road, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7WW. (Between 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday)
They can also be inspected online at: wessexwater.co.uk/NEUB
Objections
Objections may be made in writing to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, quoting the name of the applicant and referencing the Wessex Water Drought Order, at:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Water Resources Policy, Seacole 3rd Floor, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1 4DF water.resources@defra.gov.uk
Objections may be made in writing up to and including 13 November 2026. The response should outline if you are making a formal objection to the proposal and the grounds for the objection.
Dated: 6 November 2026
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