On 7 July 2026 Severn Trent broadcast a conservation appeal asking its roughly 8 million customers across the Midlands to avoid using mains water for garden irrigation and to switch to stored rainwater or grey water where possible.
This is a voluntary appeal, not a Temporary Use Ban. There is no legal restriction and no fine, and hosepipe use remains lawful across the Severn Trent area. The company has not imposed a formal hosepipe ban in over 30 years.
Customers were asked to give nature a hand by using a watering can instead of a sprinkler, and to reuse paddling pool water.