South West Water has apologised after an automated telephone message announcing its new hosepipe ban woke customers across Devon and Cornwall in the early hours of Saturday 8 August 2026, with some recipients saying they feared they were receiving news of a death or emergency. The company said it is investigating why the calls, meant to inform households of the restriction, went out later than planned, in some cases after midnight and before dawn.
The temporary use ban took effect at 00:01 BST on Saturday and applies to Devon, Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly. According to South West Water's own guidance, the restriction covers all customers in those areas and was introduced to protect water supplies during ongoing drought conditions, as set out on the company's environment FAQs page.
What did affected customers experience?
Several households in the region told the national broadcaster that the automated call reached their landline in the middle of the night rather than during normal waking hours. Liz Alsbury, who lives in Marldon near Paignton, Devon, said her phone rang at 05:30 and that she leapt out of bed fearing the worst.
We already knew that.
I understand many people might not have. However, at 05:30 in the morning... that can be very frightening, very worrying...
Marilyn Nicholas, 74, from Plymouth, said she took a call on her landline at around 03:30 and assumed she was about to hear bad news.
I didn't go back to sleep.
How did people react on social media?
Frustration also spread online, including on the Bude Notice Board community page. One person said they were furious after the overnight call frightened their 90-year-old mother, while another remarked that a phone ringing at that hour naturally makes people assume the worst has happened.
My mum who is 100 next month did [get a call] at 12.27am, as she couldn't get out of bed quick enough, all she could hear in other room as answerphone cut in, was a voice talking about hosepipe. Frightened her a lot and very distressed this morning about it.
Why was the ban introduced?
South West Water has pointed to a sustained run of below-average rainfall combined with unusually high demand as the reason for imposing the restriction, a rationale echoed in reporting by local news coverage in East Devon. The consumer body CCW has placed the move in a wider national pattern, noting that as of Friday 7 August 2026, nine water companies across the country had announced temporary use bans amid what it described as a third heatwave driving up demand, according to CCW's analysis.
The South West Water restriction follows a broader trend of hosepipe bans introduced across England this summer. Earlier reporting detailed how South West Water first signalled the measure amid worsening drought conditions, with company documents suggesting the ban could prove more localised and open-ended than initially announced. Other suppliers have taken similar steps, including Anglian Water's first hosepipe ban in a decade and a restriction affecting more than eight million households across south-east England.
Could breaching the ban carry a penalty?
The restriction is being enforced as a legal temporary use ban, and South West Water's published notice warns that breaches can carry legal consequences, with fines of up to £1,000 possible, according to local coverage of the notice. The company's formal notice process had already concluded before the ban came into force, with representations required to have been submitted by 09:00 on 14 July 2026, according to the full notice document published by South West Water.
What has South West Water said?
The company confirmed it had sent communications to customers on Friday to make them aware of the ban and any exemptions, and separately addressed the complaints about overnight calls.
We are aware that some customers received automated voice messages later than intended, including during the early hours of the morning, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused.
We are currently working with our communications provider to understand exactly why this occurred and are reviewing the process and controls used for future customer communications.
What happens next?
South West Water says it is continuing to work with its communications provider to establish why the automated calls were sent outside expected hours and is reviewing its processes to prevent a repeat for future customer notifications, a commitment confirmed in the broadcaster's report on the incident.
Key Facts
- The hosepipe ban took effect at 00:01 BST on Saturday 8 August 2026 across Devon, Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly.
- Multiple customers reported receiving automated warning calls between roughly 12:27am and 05:30am.
- South West Water has apologised and is reviewing its communications processes with its provider.
- Breaches of the legal temporary use ban can carry fines of up to £1,000.
- CCW says nine water companies nationally had announced similar bans as of 7 August 2026.
