Kent, Sussex, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight
Southern Water hosepipe ban: what you can and can't do
Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight — a large, fast-growing region that has repeatedly faced summer supply pressure.
What Southern Water’s bans usually cover
Southern Water has used temporary use bans across its region during recent hot summers, restricting hoses and sprinklers while keeping hand watering and efficient root-level watering generally available.
Is drip irrigation allowed during a Southern Water ban?
Drip and soaker irrigation feeding plants at root level is typically treated as permitted during Southern Water restrictions, since it delivers water exactly where it is needed with minimal loss. Double-check the live notice, as exact wording changes each year.
The low-water way to water anyway
However the notice is worded this year, the pattern is the same: restricted tools are the wasteful ones. A dripline that sits at the roots keeps beds healthy on a fraction of the water — which is why it is treated differently from a sprinkler.
- Feed roots, not the air — almost nothing evaporates
- Exempt in most UK notices, where hoses are banned
- Pipe pre-cut to length — no cutting, no tools
- Runs on a tap computer, hands-free all summer
How to find out the current status
Check Southern Water's live restrictions page before watering, and follow their service alerts for your postcode area.
This page explains the general rules and is not an official restrictions notice. Always confirm against Southern Water’s live notice before watering.
See how every UK region handles bans on our full hosepipe ban guide.