Hosepipe Ban Exemptions: What You Can Still Do (UK 2026)
Published: June 29, 2026 · Updated:
A hosepipe ban restricts the hosepipe, not the water.
Watering cans and buckets are always allowed. Collected rainwater and greywater are unrestricted. Commercial car washes stay open. Newly laid turf gets 28 days. Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers can apply for exemptions. What changes between companies is the detail, and that detail is where people get caught.
A UK hosepipe ban is more permissive than the name suggests. The legal restriction is on the use of a hosepipe for specific activities under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. It does not restrict water itself, it does not restrict rainwater or greywater, and most company notices carry exemptions for things like drip irrigation, newly laid turf, animal welfare and Priority Services Register customers.
This page is the full allowed-versus-banned reference for the 2026 season, covering the companies with a ban in force or declared:
- Southern Water: Hampshire + Isle of Wight only (NOT Sussex). Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in force since 10 July 2026
- South East Water: Whole supply area (Kent now; rest from 25 July). Kent in force since 3 July 2026; Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire in force since 25 July 2026
- Thames Water: London + Thames Valley. The Thames Water drinking-water supply area (London, the Thames Valley and the home counties) in force since 23 July 2026
- Anglian Water: East of England, except Hartlepool. East of England (except Hartlepool) in force since 10 July 2026
- Cambridge Water: Cambridge Water region (NOT South Staffs). Cambridge region in force since 9 July 2026
- Affinity Water: Central region (Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks, Surrey, parts of Essex and London). Central region in force since 17 July 2026
- South West Water: Devon, Cornwall, Scilly + parts of Dorset and Somerset. The whole South West Water supply area, being Devon, Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly in force since 8 August 2026
- Essex & Suffolk Water: Whole supply area (households only). All household customers across the Essex and Suffolk supply area in force since 3 August 2026
- Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru): parts of west Wales. Mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire in force since 19 July 2026
Thames Water declared a formal ban on 21 July, in force from 00:01 on Thursday 23 July across its drinking-water supply area. The lists of exemptions circulating in the press treat every ban as identical. They are not. Anglian Water restricts dripper hoses that Southern Water exempts. Southern Water makes you ask permission for new turf that Cambridge Water grants outright. Cambridge Water bans filling a paddling pool by hosepipe. The section on per-company variance below is the part most guides leave out.
What Is Still Allowed Under a TUB
The following are unrestricted (or near-unrestricted, subject to company-specific TUB notice variation) under any UK Temporary Use Ban.
- Watering with a can or bucket. Always allowed. Fill from the tap, the water butt, or any other source. Water as much of the garden as you like, as often as you like. This is the universal exemption across every UK water company TUB.
- Collected rainwater. Completely unrestricted. Use as much as you like from any number of water butts on any part of the garden.
- Drip irrigation and soaker hose systems. Usually exempt; check your supplier's specific TUB notice for the exact wording. These deliver water at the root with minimal waste and are how most company TUBs let households keep borders and vegetable beds going.
- Newly laid turf and newly sown grass seed. Exempt for the first 28 days after laying or sowing under most company notices, but the conditions differ sharply: several companies cover only turf laid before the ban began, Southern Water requires you to request permission first, and an established lawn gets no exemption at all. See our 28-day new turf exemption guide for the per-company wording.
- Bath water, washing-up water, and other grey water. Unrestricted. The TUB restricts hosepipe use, not water source. Use within 24 hours, keep away from edible crops, watch the detergent load.
- Hand-washing the car at home with a bucket. Allowed. What is banned is connecting a hosepipe to a private domestic tap to wash a private car at home.
- Commercial car wash. Allowed. Commercial water use is regulated separately from a TUB.
- Cleaning windows with a bucket and squeegee. Allowed. Window cleaning by a commercial business (typically using a water-fed pole) is generally exempt.
- Filling a pond for fish welfare. Usually exempt where the pond contains fish whose welfare requires water top-up. Check your supplier.
- Watering plants in commercial nurseries and garden centres. Commercial horticulture is generally exempt.
- Blue Badge holders. South East Water allows Blue Badge holders to apply for an exemption. Not every company offers this, so check your own notice.
- Priority Services Register customers. PSR customers who cannot make reasonable adjustments because of a health condition or disability may apply for a tailored exemption. Contact your water company directly. See our Priority Services Register explainer.
- Animal welfare. Water needed for the care of pets, livestock and fish is exempt, as is any use necessary to protect human or animal health and safety.
- Food crops. Watering fruit and vegetables you intend to eat is treated separately from ornamental gardening by most companies, and commercial food production is exempt outright.
- Religious practice. Anglian Water lists activities relating to religious practice among its exceptions.
What Is Banned Under a TUB
The following are restricted under a typical UK water company TUB notice. The exact list varies slightly by company; the notice on your supplier's website is the definitive source.
- Watering a garden or plants with a hosepipe. The headline restriction.
- Sprinklers of any kind. Including timer-controlled sprinklers, oscillating sprinklers, and pop-up irrigation systems where they are not classified as drip / soaker exempt.
- Washing a private motor vehicle with a hosepipe at home. Bucket-and-sponge or commercial car wash remain allowed.
- Washing windows, walls, paths, patios, or fences with a hosepipe. Including pressure washers fed from a mains hose.
- Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming pool, hot tub, or paddling pool. Initial filling of a newly-purchased pool may be exempt under specific conditions; check your supplier.
- Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain.
- Cleaning a leisure boat with a hosepipe.
- Watering a sports pitch, playing surface or golf course green with a hosepipe. Subject to specific exemptions for elite-level pitches.
What You Can and Cannot Do, by County
Bans are declared by water company, not by county, and the two do not line up neatly. Find your county below for the company that supplies it, the ban's dates, and that company's own exemptions. Where a county is split between two companies we say so rather than guess.
Essex
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, legally enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: Watering gardens and plants; cleaning private vehicles; cleaning paths, patios, walls and windows; filling swimming pools, paddling pools and hot tubs; filling ponds and ornamental fountains; cleaning private leisure boats. Sprinklers, pressure washers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation connected to the mains are restricted too.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket, always. Water from a butt or another stored or recycled source. Priority Services Register customers who cannot make reasonable adjustments because of a health condition or disability. Uses protecting human or animal health and safety. Animal welfare, including pets, livestock and fish. Religious practice. Specific business needs. Newly laid turf and newly sown lawns for up to 28 days after laying, where a watering can is not practical.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Suffolk
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, legally enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: As Essex: garden watering, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, pools, ponds and fountains, leisure boats, plus sprinklers, pressure washers, dripper hoses and mains-fed automatic irrigation.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Stored or recycled water. Priority Services Register exceptions, animal welfare, health and safety, religious practice, specific business needs, and newly laid turf for up to 28 days where a can is not practical.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Norfolk
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, legally enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: As Essex and Suffolk. Note that Anglian restricts dripper hoses and automatic irrigation on the mains, which some other companies exempt.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Stored or recycled water. Priority Services Register exceptions, animal welfare, health and safety, religious practice, specific business needs, newly laid turf for up to 28 days where a can is not practical.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Cambridgeshire
Split between two companies
Status: Under a hosepipe ban either way, but by two different companies on two different dates.
Banned: Both companies restrict garden watering, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, and filling pools, ponds and fountains by hosepipe.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket, and stored or collected water, under both. Beyond that the exemptions differ: Cambridge Water also covers newly sown grass seed, and trees and hedging planted in the last three years.
Cambridgeshire is split. Cambridge Water supplies part of the county and Anglian Water supplies other parts, and the boundary follows civil parishes and water quality zones rather than postcodes. The two bans have different dates: Anglian's is enforceable from 01:01 on 11 July, Cambridge Water's from 01:00 on 17 July. We will not tell you which company serves your address from your county alone. Use the postcode checker, which returns both companies for CB and PE with a note to confirm your supplier on your water bill.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker. It returns both companies for CB and PE postcodes, with a note to confirm your supplier on your water bill.
Cambridge and the Cambridge Water supply area
Supplied by Cambridge Water
Status: Restrictions in place from 9 July 2026, legally enforceable from 01:00 on Friday 17 July 2026.
Banned: Watering a garden or plants with a hosepipe; cleaning a private vehicle or leisure boat; cleaning walls, windows, paths and patios; filling or maintaining a swimming or paddling pool, hot tub, domestic pond or ornamental fountain; drawing water for domestic recreational use.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket, always. Newly laid turf may be hosed for 28 days after laying, and newly sown grass seed for its first 28 days, after which a watering can is required. Trees, whips, saplings and hedging planted within the last three years, where they cannot be hand watered. Customers with serious medical conditions or disabilities, Priority Services Register households, and businesses where hosepipe use is essential. Cambridge Water asks that anyone using an exemption respects the spirit of the restrictions.
The supply area runs from Ramsey in the north to Melbourn in the south and Gamlingay in the west to Balsham in the east, and includes Ramsey, Warboys, St Ives, Fenstanton, Cambridge, Cottenham and Papworth Everard. Cambridge Water is part of the South Staffs Water group but supplies a separate region: the South Staffs area in the West Midlands is not under this ban.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Cambridge Water page.
Northamptonshire
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: Garden watering, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, pools, ponds and fountains, leisure boats, and mains-fed sprinklers, pressure washers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Stored or recycled water. Priority Services Register exceptions, animal welfare, health and safety, religious practice, specific business needs, newly laid turf for up to 28 days where a can is not practical.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Bedfordshire
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: Garden watering, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, pools, ponds and fountains, leisure boats, and mains-fed sprinklers, pressure washers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Stored or recycled water. Priority Services Register exceptions, animal welfare, health and safety, religious practice, specific business needs, newly laid turf for up to 28 days where a can is not practical.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Lincolnshire
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: Garden watering, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, pools, ponds and fountains, leisure boats, and mains-fed sprinklers, pressure washers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Stored or recycled water. Priority Services Register exceptions, animal welfare, health and safety, religious practice, specific business needs, newly laid turf for up to 28 days where a can is not practical.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Peterborough
Supplied by Anglian Water
Status: TUB in place from 10 July 2026, enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026.
Banned: Garden watering, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, pools, ponds and fountains, leisure boats, and mains-fed sprinklers, pressure washers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Stored or recycled water. Priority Services Register exceptions, animal welfare, health and safety, religious practice, specific business needs, newly laid turf for up to 28 days where a can is not practical.
PE postcodes straddle the Anglian Water and Cambridge Water boundaries around Ramsey, Warboys and St Ives. If you are in the north of the Cambridge Water area, your dates are different. Check the postcode checker.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Anglian Water page.
Hampshire
Supplied by Southern Water
Status: TUB active since 00:01 on Friday 10 July 2026.
Banned: Watering a garden or plants with a hosepipe; sprinkler systems; cleaning a private vehicle; cleaning walls, windows, paths and patios; filling swimming pools, paddling pools, hot tubs, ponds and ornamental fountains; cleaning private leisure boats.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket, always. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are exempt. Hand watering with a shut-off nozzle. Collected rainwater. Priority Services Register customers with medical needs. Commercial uses such as commercial vehicle washing. Newly laid turf for 28 days, but Southern Water asks you to request permission first.
Southern Water gives the reason as protecting the River Test and the chalk streams it feeds, which supply most of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Southern Water page.
Isle of Wight
Supplied by Southern Water
Status: TUB active since 00:01 on Friday 10 July 2026. Same ban as Hampshire.
Banned: As Hampshire: garden watering, sprinklers, vehicle washing, hard-surface cleaning, pools, hot tubs, ponds, fountains and leisure boats.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses. Collected rainwater. Priority Services Register medical exemptions. Commercial uses. Newly laid turf for 28 days on request.
The ban covers Southern Water's Hampshire and Isle of Wight supply area ONLY. Southern Water has confirmed it does NOT apply to its Sussex customers, who face no legal restriction and no fine.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full Southern Water page.
Kent
Supplied by South East Water
Status: TUB in force since 00:01 on Friday 3 July 2026.
Banned: Watering gardens or plants with a hosepipe; cleaning private cars; cleaning walls, windows, paths or patios; filling or maintaining swimming pools, paddling pools and hot tubs; cleaning boats; running ornamental fountains.
Still allowed: Watering can or bucket, always. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses. Collected rainwater. Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers may apply for an exemption. Commercial food production. Turf laid BEFORE the ban started may be hosed for 28 days, outside the peak hours of 8am to 10am and 5pm to 9pm, and you must be able to evidence the date the works were completed.
South East Water's ban was initially Kent only (in force since 3 July). On 18 July the company announced it extends to its entire supply area: its Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire areas are covered from 00:01 on 25 July 2026, with customers urged to comply straight away.
Not sure who supplies your address? Use the postcode checker or read the full South East Water page.
Two exclusions worth knowing
Hartlepool is not covered.Hartlepool sits inside the Anglian Water group's footprint but is excluded from the ban. It is supplied by Hartlepool Water, a separate Anglian entity drawing on its own sources, and Anglian Water says water resources there are not under the same pressure as elsewhere in the region. Almost no coverage mentions this.
Sussex: check which company you mean.Southern Water serves much of Sussex, and its ban still does NOT apply there: it covers the Hampshire and Isle of Wight supply area only, which the company has confirmed. But South East Water's Sussex areas ARE covered from 00:01 on 25 July 2026, under the company's 18 July extension of its ban beyond Kent. Which ban (if either) applies to a Sussex address depends on the supplier; check your postcode.
Per-Company Variance: Where the Lists Disagree
This is the table the "full list of loopholes" articles do not print. The four companies with a formal ban in force do not publish the same exemptions, and in one case they directly contradict each other: a soaker hose that is exempt under Southern Water is restricted under Anglian Water. Your supplier's notice governs, not the national summary.
| Activity | Anglian | Southern | South East | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drip irrigation / soaker hose | Restricted (dripper hoses and automatic irrigation on mains are banned) | Exempt | Exempt | Check notice |
| Newly laid turf (28 days) | Exempt, but only if laid before the ban and a can is impractical | Exempt, but you must request permission first | Exempt, but only if laid before the ban; off-peak hours only | Exempt, and grass seed is covered too |
| Filling a paddling pool | Restricted | Restricted | Restricted | Restricted (cannot be filled by hosepipe) |
| Blue Badge holders | Check notice | Check notice | May apply for exemption | Serious medical conditions or disabilities excepted |
| Priority Services Register | Excepted where reasonable adjustments cannot be made | May be exempt for medical needs | May apply for exemption | Excepted |
| Trees and hedging planted recently | Check notice | Check notice | Check notice | Exempt for stock planted in the last three years where hand watering is impossible |
| Religious practice | Excepted | Check notice | Check notice | Check notice |
"Check notice" means the company publishes no explicit wording on that point, not that the answer is no. Verified against each company's own notice on 10 July 2026. Use the postcode checker to identify your supplier, then read its notice.
Exemptions Vary by Water Company
The exact list of permitted activities under a TUB varies slightly between water companies. Drip irrigation is exempt across most TUBs but not universally. Pond top-up for fish welfare is exempt in most but with slightly different conditions. New-lawn exemption windows vary in length. The principle to remember is: your supplier's published TUB notice is the definitive source. Identify your supplier first, then read its notice.
Use the UK postcode checker to identify your water company, or see the UK hosepipe ban map for a visual overview by region.
The Fine, Honestly
The statutory maximum fine for breaching a TUB is £1,000 per offence, set as "level 3 on the standard scale". It is a criminal offence (summary conviction in the magistrates' court), not a civil fine. In practice, water companies almost always issue a warning letter before any enforcement step, and there is no public record of a UK householder being successfully prosecuted under Section 76 for a domestic hosepipe ban breach. The threat works; the enforcement is rare. See our £1,000 fine explainer for the full legal mechanics.
Related UK Guides
- Find your water company (postcode checker).
- UK hosepipe ban map.
- £1,000 fine explained.
- Priority Services Register exemptions.
- Can I use a pressure washer during a hosepipe ban?
- How long will a hosepipe ban last?
- Hosepipe ban rules for businesses and tradespeople.
- Drip irrigation during a hosepipe ban: the qualifying spec.
- Keep your UK lawn alive during a hosepipe ban.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a watering can during a hosepipe ban?
Yes, always. A Temporary Use Ban under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 restricts the use of a hosepipe; it does not restrict water itself. You can fill a watering can or bucket from the tap and water your garden as much as you like during any UK TUB. This holds across every English and Welsh water company TUB notice.
Can I use rainwater from a water butt during a hosepipe ban?
Yes, completely unrestricted, even through a hosepipe. Collected rainwater is outside any UK TUB, and South East Water's own FAQ confirms it in terms: you may water your garden, or wash your car, with a hosepipe connected to a rainwater or grey water source such as a water butt. You can use as much as you like, from any number of butts, on any part of your garden. A typical UK roof of 100 square metres collects roughly 75,000 litres of rainwater per year, so a two-butt installation easily covers an average garden's lawn-watering needs during a summer drought.
Are drip irrigation and soaker hoses allowed under a hosepipe ban?
Usually yes, but the exemption varies by company and is not automatic. Most UK water company TUB notices specifically exempt drip irrigation and soaker (porous) hose systems because they deliver water at the root with minimal waste. However, the exact wording varies. Read your supplier's published TUB notice for the definitive list, or use our postcode checker to find your company first.
Can I wash my car at a commercial car wash during a hosepipe ban?
Yes. Commercial car washes are exempt from a TUB; they are a commercial activity rather than a domestic hosepipe use. You can also wash your own car at home using a bucket and sponge (no hosepipe) at any time. What you cannot do is run a hosepipe from your home tap onto a car parked on your driveway.
Can I use bath water or washing-up water on the garden?
Yes. Grey water reuse is outside any TUB; the restriction is on the use of a hosepipe, not on the water source. Manual bucket reuse of bath water, washing-up water, or shower water is unrestricted. Use within 24 hours, keep away from edible crops, watch detergents, and rotate application areas. See our greywater explainer for the safe-practice guidance.
What is the fine if I do break the hosepipe ban?
Up to £1,000 per violation under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (level 3 on the standard scale). In practice, water companies almost always issue a warning letter first and rarely prosecute. There is no public record of a UK householder being successfully fined under Section 76 for a domestic hosepipe ban breach. The deterrent is real; the enforcement is rare.