By James Whitfield — UK Life — Updated 19 July 2026
As of 19 July 2026, seven UK water companies have declared a hosepipe ban officially a Temporary Use Ban covering more than 11 million customers across Kent, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, the East of England, parts of Devon, and west Wales. Breaking one can mean a fine of up to £1,000. Here’s the full list, the exact start dates, and what a bucket, a watering can, or a water butt can still legally do.
Quick Facts: UK Hosepipe Ban 2026
- 7 water companies have an active or imminent hosepipe ban as of 19 July 2026: South East Water, Southern Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Affinity Water, South West Water, and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.
- Maximum fine: £1,000 per offence, under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991.
- No area of England is officially “in drought” according to the Environment Agency’s most recent weekly report — several regions are in “prolonged dry weather,” the stage before drought.
- Not banned: Yorkshire Water and Thames Water have not declared any restrictions for 2026.
- Always allowed: watering cans, buckets, drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and water butts.
Which Areas Have a UK Hosepipe Ban in 2026? Full List
As of 19 July 2026, seven companies have a hosepipe ban in force or about to start: South East Water (Kent), Southern Water (Hampshire and the Isle of Wight), Anglian Water (East of England, except Hartlepool), Cambridge Water, Affinity Water (its Central region), South West Water (parts of Devon), and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (parts of west Wales).
| Water company | Area affected | Ban starts | Customers affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| South East Water | Kent only (not Sussex, Surrey or Berkshire) | 00:01, Fri 3 July 2026 | ~850,000 |
| Southern Water | Hampshire & Isle of Wight (not Sussex) | 00:01, Fri 10 July 2026 | ~1 million |
| Anglian Water | East of England, except Hartlepool | 01:01, Sat 11 July 2026 | 5 million+ |
| Cambridge Water | Cambridge Water region only (separate from Anglian and South Staffs) | 01:00, Fri 17 July 2026 | ~350,000 households |
| Affinity Water | Central region: Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks, Surrey, parts of Essex & London | 00:01, Fri 17 July 2026 | ~3.8 million |
| South West Water | Parts of Mid & East Devon (not Cornwall, Plymouth, Exeter, Torbay) | Noon, Tue 14 July 2026 | Named towns only* |
| Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water | Parts of Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire, north Carmarthenshire | 10 am, Sun 19 July 2026 | ~33,000 properties |
*South West Water’s restriction names specific towns — Tiverton, Cullompton, Bampton, Honiton, South Molton, Dunkeswell, Axminster and Lyme Regis — rather than a customer total.
Supply boundaries rarely follow county lines, so two houses on the same street can have different suppliers. Kent, for example, is split between South East Water and Southern Water, and only the South East Water side is currently restricted. Cambridge Water is a separate company from Anglian Water despite the overlap in name and region, and Hartlepool is excluded from Anglian’s ban because it’s supplied separately by Hartlepool Water. Your water bill names your actual supplier — that’s the most reliable way to check, ahead of any postcode tool.
If you’re trying to work out whether this summer counts as an official heatwave for your area, our UK Heatwave 2026: Met Office Records and Safety Tips breaks down the thresholds region by region.
What Are the Rules? What You Can and Can’t Do
A hosepipe ban restricts the method, not the activity. You can’t connect a hosepipe or sprinkler to the mains supply for non-essential jobs, but a watering can, bucket, water butt, or drip irrigation system can legally do the same job.
Not allowed with a hosepipe connected to the mains:
- Watering a garden, allotment, or plants
- Washing a car, caravan, or boat
- Filling or topping up a paddling pool, swimming pool, or pond
- Cleaning patios, paths, or windows
- Filling or running an ornamental fountain
Still allowed:
- A watering can or bucket, for anything on the list above
- Drip irrigation and soaker hoses, typically exempt
- Water collected in a butt or from a grey-water system
- Priority Services Register customers with a medical need, who may qualify for an exemption
- New turf or grass seed laid before the ban started — South East Water, for instance, allows hosepipe watering for 28 days after laying, outside peak hours of 8–10 am and 5–9 pm.
Exemptions differ slightly between companies, so it’s worth checking your own supplier’s list before relying on one.
How Much Is the Fine for Breaking a Hosepipe Ban?
Breaching a Temporary Use Ban is a criminal offence under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, carrying a fine of up to £1,000 per offence. In practice, every major water company says it issues a written warning first and reserves prosecution for repeated or deliberate breaches rather than fining on a first slip.
If restrictions have you rethinking your household’s water use more broadly, see our guide to Water Bills UK 2026: Why They’re Rising and What Meters Change for what’s driving costs up this year.
Why Are There So Many Hosepipe Bans in 2026?
The bans follow England’s warmest June on record, according to the Met Office, and a second consecutive dry spring. But a hosepipe ban is a company decision about demand management, and it doesn’t always align with an official Environment Agency drought declaration — a distinction most coverage overlooks.
The Met Office confirmed that England recorded a mean June temperature of 17.1°C, its warmest since records began in 1884, driven by a record-breaking heatwave at the end of the month that pushed the UK to a provisional high of 37.7°C in Norfolk. That heat, combined with the second-driest spring on record in the East of England, pushed Anglian Water to declare its first hosepipe ban since 2012.
Yet the Environment Agency’s own weekly drought report, covering 10–16 July 2026, states plainly that no area of England is in drought. Instead, several regions — Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and parts of East Anglia — have moved into “prolonged dry weather,” the formal stage before drought. Water companies also track their own internal drought levels on a separate 1–4 scale; Anglian Water, for instance, reached level 2 in parts of its network even while the Environment Agency’s regional classification stayed one notch below drought. For the full breakdown of what each stage means, read UK Drought Explained: The Four Stages and What Happens Next.
Areas Without a Hosepipe Ban — Don’t Trust Recycled Headlines
Not every region under dry-weather pressure has a ban in place. Yorkshire Water’s 2025 restrictions, its most recent, were lifted on 10 December 2025 after reservoirs recovered to 91.6% capacity, according to the company’s own newsroom — so any story referencing an “11 July hosepipe ban” in Yorkshire is describing last year, not this one. Thames Water, serving around 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, is asking people to cut back voluntarily but has not declared a formal Temporary Use Ban as of 19 July 2026. Severn Trent has made no formal announcement either, though it continues to urge restraint.
FAQ: UK Hosepipe Ban 2026
Is there a hosepipe ban in my area right now?
It depends entirely on your water supplier, not your county. Use your water company’s postcode checker, since supply areas don’t always align with local authority boundaries — neighbouring streets can have different suppliers.
How long will the 2026 hosepipe bans last?
There’s no fixed end date. Companies lift restrictions once rainfall replenishes rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater. Southern Water’s 2025 Hampshire and Isle of Wight ban ran from July into October, a rough guide to how long a similar restriction could last if dry weather continues.
Can I use a pressure washer during a hosepipe ban?
Not if it’s connected to the mains supply. A pressure washer fed from a water butt or another stored, non-mains source is generally still allowed.
What happens if I ignore a hosepipe ban?
It’s a criminal offence under the Water Industry Act 1991, but companies say they warn first. Continued or deliberate breaches after a warning can lead to a fine of up to £1,000.
Is a hosepipe ban the same as an official drought?
No. A hosepipe ban is a company-level Temporary Use Ban that doesn’t require a drought declaration. As of the Environment Agency’s mid-July 2026 report, several regions are in “prolonged dry weather” — one stage below drought — rather than drought itself.
With the 2026 hosepipe ban list still growing and a seventh company added just this weekend, the safest move is to check your own supplier’s site before you next reach for the hose.
Small Business & Productivity Writer
James Whitfield writes about the tools, software, and automation that help UK freelancers and small businesses work smarter. He tests apps hands-on and breaks down what actually works, without the jargon.