Wessex Water Hosepipe Ban: What It Means for Holiday Lets with Hot Tubs in Dorset & Somerset

If you own or manage a holiday let with a hot tub in Dorset or Somerset, the words hosepipe ban are probably enough to make you wonder where on earth that leaves you at changeover.

Can you still empty and refill the hot tub? Does being a holiday let make a difference? And what happens when your responsibility to save water meets your responsibility to keep that water safe for guests?

Thankfully, the guidance is actually fairly clear.

Hosepipe Ban and Holiday Properties

Holiday lets and hosepipe restrictions

Hosepipe bans, officially known as Temporary Use Bans, restrict a number of specified uses of water.

Importantly for holiday property owners, the rules distinguish between domestic and commercial uses. Wessex Water's drought planning also recognises exemptions, including where hosepipe use is essential for small businesses and where it is required for health or safety reasons.

That distinction matters when we're talking about a commercially operated holiday let with a hot tub.

A hot tub provided as part of paid holiday accommodation isn't simply a domestic hot tub sitting in somebody's back garden. It's being provided to paying guests as part of a business, and with that comes responsibilities for managing it safely.

What about refilling a holiday let hot tub?

This is where the HSE guidance becomes particularly important.

The Health and Safety Executive specifically covers domestic-style hot tubs being used as part of a business, including those provided with holiday rental accommodation.

Its guidance says that the water in these hot tubs should be changed after each rental or weekly, whichever is shorter.

So, if you have guests leaving on a Friday and another family arriving that afternoon, the normal changeover procedure of draining, cleaning, refilling and treating the hot tub isn't just about making everything look lovely for the next guests. It's an important part of managing the health risks associated with hot tubs.

Hot tubs are a recognised potential source of Legionella and other infectious agents, which is why proper water management isn't something holiday let owners should simply stop doing because water restrictions are announced.

Does this mean holiday let owners can ignore a hosepipe ban?

No — and that's not what we're suggesting.

Everyone has a responsibility to use water sensibly during periods of prolonged dry weather, including businesses.

What it does mean is that commercial holiday accommodation and essential hot tub hygiene shouldn't simply be treated in the same way as filling a domestic paddling pool or washing the family car.

If you run a holiday let with a hot tub, you still need to maintain it properly, follow your risk assessment and water-management procedures, and comply with the relevant HSE guidance.

At the same time, there are plenty of other places around a holiday property where unnecessary water use can be reduced without compromising guest safety.

Holiday let management in Dorset and Somerset

This is exactly the sort of thing that can make holiday property management surprisingly complicated.

Running a successful holiday let isn't just about taking bookings and arranging a cleaner. There are regulations, maintenance issues, guest expectations and, occasionally, a hosepipe ban thrown into the mix.

At Key Turner Management, we work with holiday let owners across Dorset and Somerset, helping with the practical day-to-day running of their properties and taking some of those headaches off their hands.

Because sometimes you really don't need another thing to think about.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I refill my holiday let hot tub during hosepipe restrictions?

With the current restrictions YES

Commercially operated holiday accommodation is different from ordinary domestic recreational use, and Wessex Water's drought planning provides for exemptions where hosepipe use is essential for small businesses or required for health and safety.

Holiday-let owners also have health and safety responsibilities when providing a hot tub to paying guests, so the relevant restrictions and exemptions need to be read alongside those responsibilities.

Can I just leave the same water in to save water?

NO

Not simply because there are water restrictions. Hot tubs used as part of a holiday rental business need to be managed according to the property's risk assessment and appropriate health and safety procedures. Saving water doesn't override your responsibility to provide a safely managed hot tub.

Do I need to close the hot tub?

NO

A hosepipe restriction does not automatically mean that a commercially operated holiday let must close its hot tub. Owners should follow the terms of any restrictions in force, applicable exemptions and their existing health and safety responsibilities.

Could the rules change?

Yes. Restrictions and exemptions can change depending on water resources and drought conditions, so it's important to check the latest guidance rather than relying on something you read several months ago.

Information checked and correct at the time of writing: 21st August 2026.

Water restrictions and exemptions can change. This article is based on Wessex Water and Health and Safety Executive guidance available on the date above.