Hosepipe Ban: What You Can Still Do (UK 2026)
Published: June 29, 2026
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 grey water, and most company TUB notices include exemptions for drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and Priority Services Register customers with medical needs. This page is the clear allowed-vs-banned reference for the 2026 UK hosepipe ban season: South East Water (Kent, from 3 July), Yorkshire Water (Yorkshire region, from 11 July), Southern Water (Hampshire and Isle of Wight, from 21 July), plus Thames Water's advisory urging restraint.
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.
- New lawns and newly-laid turf. Often exempt within a time-limited window after laying (typically 28 days). Check your supplier for the exact rule. New turf cannot survive without water and the exemption recognises this.
- 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.
- Priority Services Register medical exemptions. PSR customers with specific medical needs (dialysis equipment, certain disability arrangements) may apply for a tailored exemption. Contact your water company directly. See our PSR explainer.
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.
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
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. Collected rainwater is outside any UK TUB. 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.