Hosepipe ban could continue into 2026, says water boss in stark new warning

Persistent rainfall needed for rest of year for ban to be lifted

Bosses at Yorkshire Water have warned that the current hosepipe ban could continue into 2026.

There is a chance residents could remain under the ban despite recent heavy rainfall, the company’s director Dave Kaye told the BBC.

He said that rain would have to fall persistently for the rest of the year if the ban were to be lifted, though he added that reservoir levels in the area had risen.

"I would anticipate it would be towards the back end of this year or early next year," he told the broadcaster.

Yorkshire became the first region to enact a hosepipe ban in July this year after England suffered its driest spring in more than a century.

Households in Yorkshire are barred from using hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, fill hot tubs and paddling pools (PA Wire)

Households in Yorkshire are barred from using hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, fill hot tubs and paddling pools, and clean outdoor surfaces.

Anyone caught breaching the ban, which is legally enforceable, may be fined £1,000.

Yorkshire Water said the region had both the driest and warmest spring on record this year, receiving just 15cm of rainfall between February and June – less than half the level expected in an average year.

When Mr Kaye was asked by the BBC if customers would receive a refund, he said: “No, because people can use watering cans... there's plenty of sources.”

However, the water company has faced criticism after it was reported that its chief executive, Nicola Shaw, had received £1.3 million of undisclosed extra pay via an offshore parent company.

Water regulator Ofwat is examining whether payments made to Ms Shaw via the Jersey-incorporated company Kelda Holdings between April 2023 and March 2025 complied with rules banning bonuses for water company bosses.

Lindley reservoir near Otley, in West Yorkshire, has low water levels (PA Wire)

Mr Kaye told the BBC: "Of course I can understand why people are frustrated. Our chief executive declined her bonus because of the poor performance we've had in Yorkshire.”

Mr Kaye added that the money "was a fee", rather than a bonus, for work she did for stakeholders. The company told the BBC that the payments made by its parent company were noted in annual reports, but said it should have been “more transparent”.

He also defended the company’s record on fixing leaks, saying: “We try to get out and fix leaks as quickly as we possibly can. We focus on big leaks that lose a lot of water and we try and focus on the visible leaks.

“We've reduced leakage by 15 per cent over the last five years. We are going to do much more in the next five years as well.”