Affinity Water Hosepipe Ban Status 2026
Published: July 10, 2026 · Updated:
TUB Active: Central region in force since 17 July 2026
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 17 July 2026
- Area
- Central region (Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks, Surrey, parts of Essex and London)
- Maximum fine
- £1,000 maximum per violation
- Last verified
- 2026-08-10
Affinity Water declared a Temporary Use Ban across its Central region, issued as a statutory notice under Section 76B of the Water Industry Act 1991. Affinity supplies water only in these areas, so a household on the ban may share a postcode district with a Thames Water or Anglian Water customer who is not. Annex 2 of the notice automatically exempts Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers, and Affinity Water's website guidance adds that WaterSure tariff customers are exempt. The sections below set out the dates, who is covered, and what you can still do.
Affinity Water is asking customers to stop using hosepipes now, ahead of legal enforcement at 00:01 on Friday 17 July 2026, to protect supplies during the heat.
Coverage Area
Affinity Water's Central region across the East and South East of England, covering parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey, plus parts of north and west London. Affinity supplies water only (waste water is handled by Thames Water and Anglian Water in these areas), so many Affinity customers share a postcode district with a Thames or Anglian customer. The Temporary Use Ban applies to Affinity Water's own supply area only.
Affinity Water serves approximately 3.9 million people.
Affinity Water supplies water to only PART of London and the wider region, and the ban follows its supply area, not council or postcode boundaries. One street can be Affinity while the next is Thames Water. Harrow, for example, is largely Affinity; most of inner London is Thames Water and not affected by this ban. Your water bill names your supplier, and the postcode checker returns every candidate for your postcode.
Not sure of your supplier or whether your address is covered? Use the postcode checker. Official site: Affinity Water Limited.
Why Affinity Water Declared This Restriction
Affinity Water's Central region is heavily dependent on chalk groundwater, which is slow to recharge after a dry winter and spring. June 2026 was England's warmest June on record (a provisional 37.7 degrees Celsius at Strumpshaw Hill, Norfolk, on 26 June, per the Met Office), and demand across the region has run about 20 per cent above normal. Grafham Water reservoir, which would usually provide around 10 per cent of the Central region's supply, is delivering less than usual, raising the risk of demand exceeding what Affinity is licensed to abstract. Affinity supplies water to around 3.9 million people and does not own large impounding reservoirs, relying instead on aquifer sources and bulk supplies. The ban is indefinite: it remains until water resources recover and demand returns to sustainable levels.
What is Banned, What is Allowed
Restricted uses: Watering a garden using a hosepipe; cleaning a private motor vehicle using a hosepipe; watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises; cleaning a private leisure boat; filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool; drawing water for domestic recreational use; filling or maintaining a domestic pond or ornamental fountain; cleaning walls, windows, paths, patios or other artificial outdoor surfaces.
Watering with a watering can or bucket is always allowed, as is water from a butt or other non-mains source. Annex 2 of Affinity Water's statutory notice automatically exempts Blue Badge holders and customers on the Priority Services Register, who may continue to use a hosepipe without making representations. Affinity Water's website guidance additionally states that customers on the WaterSure tariff are exempt, and that businesses may continue to use a hosepipe where it is directly needed for their commercial activities; both of those go beyond what the notice itself sets out, so quote the guidance if you are challenged. The notice also allows drip and trickle irrigation fitted with a pressure reducing valve and timer, and hosepipe watering of turf laid within the previous four weeks. Representations can be made in writing to Affinity Water.
Exemptions differ between companies. Before relying on one, check Affinity Water's own notice. For the newly laid turf rule, see our 28-day new turf exemption guide, and for the commercial rules our hosepipe ban rules for businesses.
Fines and Reporting
Maximum fine: £1,000 maximum per violation.
Breaching the Temporary Use Ban is an offence under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. A court may impose a fine of up to £1,000. Affinity Water issued its ban as a statutory notice under Section 76B of the Act.
Reporting channel: Affinity Water customer services; representations to TUBrepresentations@affinitywater.co.uk.
Legal notice: the statutory notice (PDF). The legally-operative terms are in the notice itself.
UK Lawn Care During Affinity Water Restrictions
The ban restricts the hosepipe, not the watering can, so you can keep a lawn alive through it. Affinity Water customers are largely in the drier South East and East, where lawns are cool-season grasses (Perennial Ryegrass, Fescue blends). The efficient approach is to stop feeding, raise the mower to 50 to 60 millimetres, and water only the areas you most want to keep with a can in the early morning, using collected rainwater where you have it. Better still, let the lawn go dormant: an established UK lawn browning off in a heatwave is not dying, it is protecting its crowns, and it greens up again within a few weeks of autumn rain. New turf and grass seed are a different case; see the 28-day new turf exemption. Because Affinity shares postcodes with Thames and Anglian, confirm on your bill that Affinity is your supplier before assuming the ban applies to you.
See our keep your lawn alive under a hosepipe ban guide, and overseeding during a hosepipe ban for the September window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a hosepipe ban in the Affinity Water area right now?
Yes. Affinity Water announced a Temporary Use Ban on 10 July 2026, enforceable from 00:01 on Friday 17 July 2026 under Section 76B of the Water Industry Act 1991. Approximately 3.9 million people across its Central region are affected. Affinity is asking customers to stop using hosepipes now, ahead of legal enforcement, and representations on the terms of the notice were open until 16 July 2026.
Which areas does the Affinity Water hosepipe ban cover?
Affinity Water's Central region: parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey, plus parts of north and west London. Affinity supplies water only in these areas, so your neighbour a few streets away could be a Thames Water or Anglian Water customer and not affected. Check your water bill to confirm Affinity is your supplier.
Why might I be on the ban when my neighbour is not?
Because water supply boundaries do not follow postcodes. Affinity Water shares postcode districts such as AL, WD, HP, LU, EN, HA, UB and SL with Thames Water and Anglian Water, which supply water to other households in the same area. Only Affinity Water's own supply customers are covered by this ban. Your water bill names your supplier.
What is restricted under the Affinity Water TUB?
Using a hosepipe to water a garden or plants, clean a private car, clean walls, windows, paths or patios, fill or maintain a swimming or paddling pool, hot tub, pond or ornamental fountain, clean a private leisure boat, or draw water for domestic recreational use. Watering with a can or bucket is always allowed.
What exemptions apply to the Affinity Water ban?
Watering with a can or bucket, and water from a butt or other non-mains source, are unrestricted. Annex 2 of Affinity Water's statutory notice automatically exempts Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers, who may continue to use a hosepipe without making representations. Affinity Water's website guidance additionally states that customers on the WaterSure tariff are exempt, and that businesses may continue to use a hosepipe where it is directly needed for their commercial activities. Those two concessions come from the company's published guidance rather than from the notice itself, so it is worth keeping a copy of the guidance if you rely on either.
What is the fine for breaching the Affinity Water hosepipe ban?
Up to £1,000, imposed by a court under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. Affinity Water issued the ban as a statutory notice under Section 76B. As with other companies, enforcement typically starts with education rather than moving straight to prosecution.
How long will the Affinity Water hosepipe ban last?
It is indefinite. Affinity Water says the ban stays in place until water resources recover and demand returns to sustainable levels, which typically means until sustained autumn and winter rainfall has recharged its chalk aquifers. There is no fixed end date.
Can I still use a watering can under the Affinity Water ban?
Yes. The ban restricts the use of a hosepipe, not water itself. Filling a watering can or bucket from the tap and watering your garden is allowed at any time, as is using collected rainwater from a water butt. That is enough to keep the parts of a lawn or borders you most care about alive through a dry spell.
What does the Affinity Water ban mean for my lawn?
An established lawn does not need saving. UK lawns are cool-season grasses that go dormant and brown in summer drought to protect their crowns, then recover within a few weeks of autumn rain. Stop feeding, raise the mower height, and if you want to keep it green, water selectively with a can in the early morning. Newly laid turf and grass seed are the exception and may qualify for the 28-day new turf exemption.
How do I check if Affinity Water supplies my address?
Check your water bill, which names your supplier, or use our UK postcode checker. Because Affinity shares postcode areas with Thames Water and Anglian Water, the postcode alone cannot tell you with certainty which company supplies you, so the bill is the definitive source.
Counties Affinity Water Serves
County guides exist for the areas listed below. For any other part of the Affinity Water area, use the postcode checker rather than a county page:
Not sure your area is covered? Is there a hosepipe ban in my area? or use the postcode checker.
← Back to UK water restrictions overview
Source of record: Affinity Water's own status page, last checked 2026-08-10. We do not publish a hosepipe ban on the strength of a news report. Updates posted as water companies declare, modify, or lift restrictions.