We’re really pleased to announce that we have lifted the hosepipe restrictions.
That means from Wednesday 10 December 2025, the restrictions in Yorkshire have ended as our reservoir levels are back to where they should be after recovering from the driest spring in 132 years and a record-breaking warm summer.
We’d like to thank all our customers for your support in saving water over the recent months.
Although we have now lifted restrictions, it’s still really important that we all continue to save water where we can. Even small water saving habit changes can help and give our reservoirs the best chance to keep topping up over the winter, ahead of the warmer months next year. You can find out more about how to save water.
Frequently asked questions
Why are you lifting the restrictions now?
We’ve decided to lift hosepipe restrictions now because we've made significant progress in managing our water resources, and this has been possible thanks to everyone's collective efforts. Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to:
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Reducing leakage: Our dedicated leakage team has been working tirelessly around the clock, fixing leaks at a rate of one every 25 minutes. Since April, they've repaired over 14,000 leaks.
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Increasing our investment in infrastructure: This summer we invested over £8m in projects aimed at safeguarding our water supply. This included bringing a borehole at Heck water treatment works back into service, upgrading the Loftsome Bridge facility to make it more resilient so we could maximise how much water it treated, and reinstated a borehole at Carlton Mill Lane. Crucial work at Thornton Moor has also been completed to ensure our Leeming and Leeshaw reservoirs remain in a healthy condition.
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Since April, we’ve replaced 120km of water pipes as part of our £406m mains replacement programme to upgrade 1000km of water mains by 2030. We've also installed 100k smart meters since April as part of our smart meter exchange programme to update over 1 million smart meters by 2030.
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Improving our operations: We’ve adjusted our water treatment processes to reduce waste and are continuously working to ensure our reservoirs refill efficiently.
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We estimate that hosepipe restrictions have helped us to save around 3.1billion litres of water which is around 2% of our reservoir stocks. On average, we saw a 3.4% drop in daily demand when we had restrictions in place, which is around 44 million litres of water a day.
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Over the spring and summer, to help reduce the strain on our reservoirs, we've been pumping more water around our region from other water sources. If we hadn't have done this, our reservoirs would be 13% lower than they are now, so they could have dipped to as low as 18% in September, so this has really helped to protect the levels.
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Drought permit activity: This year, we implemented 28 drought options across 26 of our reservoirs, along with two river options. We estimate that these measures could have helped us hold back an extra 4065 million litres of water in our reservoirs. That's more drought options than we had in 2022, showing just how serious the water situation was after one of the driest springs on record. Having these drought permits in place allowed us to increase the amount of water we could take from rivers to use or supply and reduce the amount of water we release from reservoirs to support river levels downstream.
By increasing the above activities, along with some much-needed rainfall and our customers' efforts in saving water, our reservoir levels have returned to where they should be for this time of year. We really appreciate our customers' efforts to save water and your understanding throughout this challenging time. Thank you for bearing with us!
How have these efforts affected our reservoirs?
Throughout spring and summer, we moved water around from different sources to ease pressure on our reservoirs. Without these efforts, our reservoirs would be 13% lower, potentially dropping to just 18% in September. But thanks to everyone’s water-saving efforts, they’re now in much better shape, currently at around 91.6%.
Will there be enough water next summer?
We'll do our best to make sure there's enough water for everyone next summer. Water availability is a concern for all of us, especially with more unpredictable weather likely to happen in future. By continuing to focus on reducing leakage and investing in new water resources like boreholes, we aim to address this challenge effectively. We also encourage our customers to continue to use water wisely, as this plays a crucial role in protecting our reservoir stocks and maintaining a sustainable supply for everyone.
What is being done about water leaks and bursts?
Our colleagues are continuing to work around the clock to reduce leaks and prevent bursts, especially during the winter months when pipes are more likely to burst due to temperature fluctuations. You can help protect your home by insulating your water pipes to prevent any potential issues. For more tips on preparing your home for winter, check out our guide.
We understand how crucial it is to drive down leakage, especially when the cold weather hits. That's why we've brought in extra people over winter to help us fix leaks quicker, as we know the cold weather causes more leaks. We're also investing £38m over the next five years to reduce leakage and are progressing our plans to bring additional sources of water into our network through the installation of new boreholes, with £20m invested in these projects.
How are you improving the water infrastructure?
We’re investing in our water infrastructure by replacing over 1,000km of ageing pipes across Yorkshire. This is part of a £406m investment to reduce leaks and prevent bursts. We’re also investing £20m in borehole projects which will help increase the resilience of our water system. You can learn more about these improvements here.
How does climate change affect your water management plans?
Climate change plays a big part in how we manage water. Our Water Resources Management Plan, updated every five years, looks 25 years ahead to make sure we have a steady water supply while considering climate change. You can read the latest version of our plan here.
In our recent review, we saw the need for new boreholes and service reservoirs to increase the resilience in our water system. We’re now on with building those, and we’ll have them up and ready in the next few years. These are short-term measures, and in the longer term, we’ve now reflected that with the rapid effects of climate change we’re currently experiencing, we need to challenge the assumptions we’ve made in our Water Resources Management Plan.
With the addition of data centres, which use huge amounts of water, rising customer demand, and the ongoing climate challenges, we need to think and plan differently for how we meet the future needs of our customers. One of the options we will be considering is whether additional reservoirs are needed.
Why has it taken so long to lift the ban?
This year, we had a long spell of unusually warm and dry weather, which meant our reservoirs needed more time to fill up again. Thankfully, they’ve now had the chance to do so and are ready to meet water needs throughout winter and into next spring and summer. As Yorkshire has been officially in a drought since June, we applied for and received drought permits. These permits allowed us to take more water from rivers for use and supply while also reducing the amount of water released from reservoirs to support river levels downstream. We had to introduce the hosepipe restrictions to get these permits, as we wouldn’t have received them otherwise. This careful planning was crucial to make sure we could meet future water needs, even though it meant keeping the restrictions longer than we hoped.
Are you lifting the restrictions just because it’s rained?
We’re lifting the hosepipe restrictions not only due to the recent rainfall but also because of the progress we’ve made in managing water resources, with everyone's help. To give you a better sense of our efforts, our dedicated colleagues have been tirelessly fixing leaks, averaging one every 25 minutes, repairing over 14,000 since April. Throughout the summer, we invested £8m in our infrastructure to secure our water supply and improved our treatment processes to reduce waste. The hosepipe restrictions played a crucial role in saving water, and we strategically moved water around the region using our grid network to where it was needed most. We also used more drought permits than in 2022, allowing us to extract more water during one of the driest springs on record. Thanks to these activities, the much-needed rain, and your water-saving efforts, our reservoir levels are in a much healthier position as we approach winter. Thank you so much for your patience and support!
Will there be a hosepipe restrictions next year?
We know it's a concern when it comes to using water and hosepipes, especially after such a dry spell like the one we experienced in Yorkshire this spring. While we can't say for sure if there will be hosepipe restrictions next year, as much depends on factors like the weather, we always want to make sure we're taking care of our water resources together. That's why we continue to encourage everyone to use water wisely. By being mindful of how we use water, we can all help reduce the chances of needing restrictions.
What are the reservoir levels?
Our reservoir levels are currently 91.6% full (as of 09/12/25 ) which is definitely a step in the right direction!
Have the hosepipe restrictions been effective?
The hosepipe restrictions helped to reduce the amount of water used over summer. Along with putting the hosepipe away, many of our customers adopted other water-saving habits too – such as reusing grey water or having a shower instead of a bath. We’re really grateful for our customer’s efforts to save water this summer and all year round.
What can I do now the restrictions has lifted?
Although our reservoir levels are in a much healthier position as we head into winter, we’re kindly asking our customers to please remain mindful of their water usage and to use water wisely. The management of our water resources remains challenging due to unpredictable weather patterns. While we continue to invest in infrastructure and further drive down leakage to maintain everyone’s water supply, we still need your help. Together, we can lower the chances of hosepipe restrictions returning next year. To support this effort, we’ve pulled together some quick and easy water-saving tips for use at home.