Reform UK says ‘mass immigration’ to blame for hosepipe ban affecting millions

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 16, 2026 11:37am Updated August 16, 2026 11:37am The hosepipe ban has been placed on more than 26 million people amid the major drought (Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images) Reform UK has claimed mass immigration is the reason why millions of people in England and Wales are banned from using their hoses. Both countries recorded their driest July since Met Office records began 190 years ago, with some areas going more than 50 days without a drop of rain. The extreme conditions have led drought to be declared in two-thirds of England and across the whole of Wales. In the past few weeks, hosepipe bans have been introduced by Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Essex and Suffolk Water, Southern Water, South East Water, South West