Frequently Asked Questions

A Temporary Use Ban (TUB) or as it’s more commonly known a ‘hosepipe ban’ means you won’t be allowed to use a hosepipe to undertake certain activities around the property. We know hosepipe bans can be inconvenient, and this is not a decision we have taken lightly but we are taking these steps now to make sure we have enough water to see us through to the end of the Summer and into the Autumn.

The use of a hosepipe, including using sprinklers, dripper hoses, automatic irrigation systems and similar devices, is prohibited for the following:

1. Watering a garden using a hosepipe
2. Watering plants that are in an outdoor pot or in the ground, under cover on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe
3. Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use
4. Cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a hosepipe
5. Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe
6. Cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises using a hosepipe
7. Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe
8. Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe
9. Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool
10. Filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe
11. Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain

Note that customers can still undertake the above activities if they use mains water from a bucket or watering can; or use water that is not sourced from the mains such as grey water, rainwater from a water butt through a hosepipe, or private boreholes for example.

The following definitions apply:

• “Garden” includes a park, gardens open to the public, a domestic garden, a lawn, a grass verge, an allotment used for non-commercial purposes and any other green space;
• “Hosepipe” includes anything designed, adapted or used to serve the same purpose as a hosepipe. The prohibitions apply whether or not any device is attached to the hosepipe, such as a sprinkler for example; and
• "Using a hosepipe" includes the drawing of water supplied by the company from a container through a hosepipe; and filling a container by means of a hosepipe with water supplied by the company;
• “Using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use” includes operating water slides and other recreational equipment.
• A “private motor-vehicle” does include taxis and minicabs but does not include (1) a public service vehicle, as defined in Section 1 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981(c), and (2) a good vehicle, as defined in section 192 of the Road Traffic Act 1988(d).
• Boats in private ownership are included whether trailer launched or not. The definition extends to small watercraft such as canoes, kayaks, jet skis, etc.
• Hot tubs are classified as domestic recreational use except where this is directly for commercial purposes.

We have had a lot of very dry weather so far this year, with very little rainfall. In fact it’s been as dry this year as it was in 1976. We’ve taken the decision to introduce a hosepipe ban, because the lack of rain and high demand for water means that our water reserves in the area are lower than we’d like them to be at this time of year. While there is no immediate risk to supplies, we do need to take steps now to make sure supplies last.

We will write to you to let you know if there is a hosepipe ban in your area, but you can also use our postcode checker to see if you are affected. This can be found on our website at dwrcymru.com/drought.

While there is no immediate risk to water supplies for the area, we are having to take steps now to ensure enough water remains to continue supplying customers and to protect the local environment over the coming months.

We are obliged under the law to provide water for the purposes of drinking, washing, sanitation and central heating, and everyone is still able to use water for these purposes, even with the hosepipe ban in place.

Generally, we don’t mind if you use water for other purposes as well – such as garden watering. At the moment, however, there isn’t enough water for those non-essential purposes, so we’re having to prohibit hosepipe usage in those cases.

For metered customers, you only pay for what you use, so you aren’t being charged for anything you’re not using. For unmetered customers, in normal circumstances you don’t have to pay any extra for garden watering in addition to domestic use of water and we are happy for you to use a hosepipe with no extra charge. In the drought situation, however, we don’t have that water available to give you, which is why the restrictions are in place.

You can still use water outside if you fill up a bucket or watering can from the tap, or use water that’s been used before, such as bath water or cooking water.

Not with a hosepipe, but you can still use water in a bucket. Hosepipes use around 540 litres of water an hour. A bucket and sponge may only use 10 litres. We’re not saying you can’t use water; we just need you to use less wasteful methods.

No. Sprinklers are covered by the ban. You can use a watering can or a bucket to water the garden.

Not with a hosepipe, but you can still use water in a bucket. Hosepipes use around 540 litres of water an hour. We’re not saying you can’t use water; we just need you to use less wasteful methods.

If you are a Blue Badge Holder, or if you’re on our Priority Services Register, you are exempt from the hosepipe ban.

If you have your own water supply such as a private borehole, you are exempt, as the ban only applies to Welsh Water customers.

For full details about what is and isn’t included in the hosepipe ban please visit our website – dwrcymru.com/drought.

If your circumstances are listed in the current exemptions, you do not need to do anything. If after reading this notice you wish to apply for an exemption from these water restrictions due to a requirement not currently outlined in the exceptions, please email us at: water.resources@dwrcymru.com.

There are exemptions for Blue Badge holders, people on our Priority Services Register and for the use of a hosepipe for cleaning in some situations where health and safety is an issue. If you’re concerned about your needs and what the ban means for you, just get in touch through our website.

Here are our top ten tips for saving water:

• By turning off the tap each time you brush your teeth, you can save up to 18 litres. That’s a saving of 36 sports bottles each time you brush your teeth - or 72 bottles a day, 504 bottles a week or 26,208 bottles a year – per person!
• Have a shower instead of a bath. This will not only save water but can also save money because heating water can account for 25% of your energy bill.
• Over one third of the water we use at home goes down the toilet, so if it’s yellow, why not let it mellow?!
• Put a full washing load on rather than two half loads
• Drinking water – This is one area you should NOT cut back on! Keep a jug of water in the fridge so you don’t have to run the tap for as long for a cold drink. We think our tap water is the best in the world so enjoy it!
• Fill the dishwasher and use an ‘eco’ setting or wait and do the dishes all in one go rather than throughout the day
• If you’re buying new appliances, choose water efficient products, or even better, look for a product with a Waterwise Recommended Checkmark. This will reduce your water use without even trying!
• A leaking tap can waste up to 15 litres of water a day – or 5,500 litres a year. That's enough to fill up five and a half fire engines.
• Use a water butt to catch water that could otherwise be taken away through our sewerage pipes. You could use this to clean your car or wash your windows which will help you get into all those awkward nooks and crannies!
• Water your plants or garden with watering can rather than a hosepipe. Watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation so save water

You could be fined up to £1,000, although we hope that this won’t be necessary if everyone works together to save water.

The ban will usually last until water resources are replenished – which could be from a large amount of rain, or from reduced water demand.

Ponds can be topped up with a hosepipe if they contain fish or other aquatic animals, as this is a matter of animal welfare. Hosepipes may also be used to clean animal living areas, or refill drinking troughs.

A hosepipe attached to a water butt that has been filled by rainwater, or other water reused from the home, is allowed. However, you cannot fill up water butts directly from the mains supply.

Ceredigion has only seen just over XX% of the expected rainfall between March and July and since becoming aware of the lower-than-normal rainfall, we have undertaken a number of activities to help conserve water in the area. This has included increased detection and repair of leaks, plus the use of water tankers to respond to peak periods of demand in some parts of the County.

The situation affecting Mid & South Ceredigion is not unique and large parts of the UK are being severely affected by the prolonged dry weather and some areas of England are already being impacted by restrictions to water use.

If you notice a neighbour or someone in your community using a hosepipe during the hosepipe ban, you can get in touch with us through our website. It may be that the person is exempt from the ban, but we will be able to investigate and make sure that everyone is aware of their responsibilities to be more water efficient. It may help to talk about the ban within your community, to raise awareness of the restrictions, and help others understand what they mean.

We will have a hosepipe ban in place in the Mid and South Ceredigion area. This means that the restrictions will only apply to people living in this area. We would ask that all our customers use water wisely and do not waste it.

Even though we have had some very welcome rain recently, we still need these temporary restrictions. Some areas need a good few weeks of rain like this before we can be confident that our reservoirs have enough water to see us through the summer. The longer the rain continues the sooner we will be able to relax the restrictions.

We will let all affected customers know when the ban has been lifted, the same way we wrote to you when the ban came into place. If you’re unsure about whether the ban is still in place you can check our website.

We’re not asking people to stop using water or to stop using it for essential purposes. You should carry on using what you need. We’re just asking you to change your methods of carrying out some activities, from very wasteful methods, like hosepipes and sprinklers, to more efficient methods like watering cans and buckets. These methods can save literally hundreds of litres of water every single time they’re used. A sprinkler can use in just one hour what a family of four would typically use in a day.

We will do everything we can to avoid this situation and stricter restrictions than ever before mean standpipes are unlikely.

Tackling leakage is a key priority for Welsh Water and we’ve made good progress in reducing the amount lost from our network each year. In fact over the past 20 years we have halved our leakage levels and have hit our leakage reduction targets every year over the past decade.

We have teams out across our area finding and fixing leaks as quickly as possible. To bring this to life, we have:

• Increased from 34 leakage detection staff to 103
• We are finding and fixing around 700 leaks per week

It’s also worth pointing out that our water system is 27,000km long which is about the distance of flying to Australia and back. Much of it dates back to Victorian times so it is inevitable that a network of this age and size will develop leaks. We currently invest around £20million per year on tackling leakage.

During the recent dry weather and ahead of us announcing a hosepipe ban we have increased our leakage detection and repair activities to further reduce losses from the network. Across the Ceredigion water resource zone where the ban applies, we have transferred colleagues from other operational areas as well as enlisted the support of contractors to aid these efforts. This has resulted in us increasing manpower in the area by 70% which in turn means we are now detecting and fixing 40% more leaks compared to 2021.

Our aim at present is to attend and fix leaks that are reported to us within 48 hours. This is where the leak is straightforward to repair and doesn’t require us to obtain any permissions to undertake the work.

While some leaks are easy to repair and can be done quickly, others are more complex either due to their location or to us requiring the necessary permissions to undertake the work. This might include obtaining permission to put traffic management in place so that are team and motorists are kept safe while the repair work takes place. These inevitably take longer and while we understand people can become frustrated, we can reassure everyone that we very much take our responsibility for repairing leaks seriously and thank people for bearing with us.

The best help customers can offer is to report any leaks to us as soon as they notice them. These can be reported to us through our website.