LAST UPDATE | 13 Jul

UISCE ÉIREANN IS set to impose a six-week hosepipe ban on six counties across Ireland from later this week. 

The ban will be implemented from midnight this Thursday until 11.59pm on Wednesday 26 August in areas of the country that are experiencing shortages in water supply.

The affected counties include Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Meath, South Tipperary and coastal areas in Wexford.

The utility says the purpose of the ban is to safeguard water supplies “for essential purposes following a period of exceptionally warm and dry weather, which has placed sustained pressure on water treatment plants, treated water reservoirs and the wider network”.

“We’re asking people to conserve water for essential use only and restrict the use of hoses,” Margaret Attridge, head of water operations told The Journal.

This includes washing cars, filling pools, cleaning driveways or any other ornamental use of water.

Map released by Uisce Éireann showing the hosepipe ban for the Greater Dublin Area. Uisce Éireann Uisce Éireann

Use of water for hygiene or health purposes is not restricted by the ban.

“Usage has increased by 20% per day last week, and that’s primarily with people outside watering their gardens and cleaning their driveways, so that’s why we’re moving ahead with the water conservation order,” she added.

The utility said that the order will apply only to the affected areas, but appealed to all customers across the country to reduce non-essential water use while supplies remain under pressure.

Uisce Éireann map showing the hosepipe ban on coastal areas in Co Wexford. Uisce Éireann Uisce Éireann

Nighttime water restrictions are in place in 40 areas, stopping access from around 10pm at night to 7am the next morning.

Tankering schemes are also in operation, taking water from areas under pressure to areas that have shortages.

Uisce Éireann also made an urgent call to the public to not use a garden hose over the weekend as drinking water usage remained ”exceptionally high”.

It comes as usage in the greater Dublin area recently reached 693 million litres, around 50 million litres above the year-to-date average.

A hosepipe ban will also be in place for south Tipperary. Uisce Éireann Uisce Éireann

Supplies are also under pressure in parts of Wexford and south Tipperary, where water treatment plants are producing significantly more water each day than the average daily demand recorded in 2025.

“If the demand goes down, and we can sustain our treatment plants that can match the production demand, we may be able to lift sooner than that,” Attridge explained.

“We really need to protect our water sources to make sure we have supplies and to keep communities open with water during the day, particularly the likes of hospitals and care homes. We really need to protect water for those sources.”

Tips to help conserve water

Uisce Éireann said that customers nationwide can reduce non-essential water use by a number of measures, including the below:

• Use a watering can instead of a hose or sprinkler.
• Check that your home is leak free. Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes.
• Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save up to six litres of water per minute.
• A seven-minute shower uses significantly less water than the average bath.
• Only use washing machines and dishwashers when fully loaded.
• Consider using a cistern displacement device to reduce water use.

With reporting by Eoghan Dalton