UK Hosepipe Ban Map 2026
Published: July 8, 2026 · Updated:
Live as of 17 August 2026. Ten formal TUBs: Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Affinity Water, Wessex Water, South West Water, Essex & Suffolk Water, Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru). Thames Water declared a formal ban on 21 July, in force from 00:01 on Thursday 23 July, the largest of the summer by customers covered. There is no Yorkshire Water ban in 2026.
The map below is colour-coded live from our UK water-companies data. Red regions are under an active Temporary Use Ban (TUB); orange are TUBs declared for a future date or advisories; yellow is drought monitoring or drought level 1; green is normal operations. Click or tap a region to jump to that company's full page; the text list below is the accessibility fallback and the primary source of truth for the same data.
Hover or tap a region to see status. Click to view the full company page.
Schematic, not cartographic. For your exact supplier use the postcode checker.
Know your postcode? Check your exact supplier
Water company boundaries follow historical supply infrastructure and can split a single street. The map above shows the regional picture; the postcode checker returns your specific water company and its current TUB status from your UK postcode.
Check my postcode →Full UK water company status list
Every UK water company with its current TUB status, service area, and a link to its full page. This is the accessibility fallback for the map above and what search engines and screen readers read.
- Southern Water (Hampshire + Isle of Wight only (NOT Sussex)): TUB Active: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in force since 10 July 2026. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in force since 10 July 2026. Approximately 4.6 million; about 1 million affected by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight TUB. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- South East Water (Whole supply area (Kent now; rest from 25 July)): TUB Active: Kent in force since 3 July 2026; Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire in force since 25 July 2026. Kent in force since 3 July 2026; Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire in force since 25 July 2026. Approximately 2.3 million customers in total. The Kent TUB covers about 850,000; South East Water publishes no population figure for the extension (The Independent reports around two million more) affected. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Thames Water (London + Thames Valley): TUB Active: The Thames Water drinking-water supply area (London, the Thames Valley and the home counties) in force since 23 July 2026. The Thames Water drinking-water supply area (London, the Thames Valley and the home counties) in force since 23 July 2026. The ban covers the roughly 10.1 million customers Thames Water supplies with drinking water. This is not Thames Water's larger figure of around 16 million, which includes customers it serves for wastewater only; those customers are not affected by the ban. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Anglian Water (East of England, except Hartlepool): TUB Active: East of England (except Hartlepool) in force since 10 July 2026. East of England (except Hartlepool) in force since 10 July 2026. More than 5 million water-supply customers affected. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Cambridge Water (Cambridge Water region (NOT South Staffs)): TUB Active: Cambridge region in force since 9 July 2026. Cambridge region in force since 9 July 2026. Approximately 350,000 households (about 351,000 customers) affected. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Affinity Water (Central region (Herts, Beds, Bucks, Berks, Surrey, parts of Essex and London)): TUB Active: Central region in force since 17 July 2026. Central region in force since 17 July 2026. Approximately 3.9 million people affected. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Wessex Water (Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire + parts of Hants and Gloucs): TUB Active: The whole Wessex Water supply area in force since 18 August 2026. The whole Wessex Water supply area in force since 18 August 2026. Wessex Water supplies approximately 2.8 million people. It has not published a separate figure for how many are covered by this ban and we will not estimate one: the company defines it as all of the customers it supplies with water. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- South West Water (Devon, Cornwall, Scilly + parts of Dorset and Somerset): TUB Active: 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. 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. South West Water supplies around 1.8 million people. It has not published a separate figure for how many are covered by this ban, and we will not estimate one: the company defines it as all of its customers rather than by a headcount. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Essex & Suffolk Water (Whole supply area (households only)): TUB Active: All household customers across the Essex and Suffolk supply area in force since 3 August 2026. All household customers across the Essex and Suffolk supply area in force since 3 August 2026. The ban covers all household customers across the Essex & Suffolk Water supply area. Business customers are not covered. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) (parts of west Wales): TUB Active: Mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire in force since 19 July 2026. Mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire in force since 19 July 2026. Covers Aberaeron, Llanon, Llangwyryfon, Cwm Ystwyth, Tregaron, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ystrad Meurig, Lampeter, Felinfach, Ciliau Aeron, Llandysul, New Quay, Aberporth, Rhydlewis, Crymych, Eglwyswrw, Nevern, Newport (Pembrokeshire), Llanfyrnach, Tegryn, Star, Farmers, Pencader, Hermon and surrounding areas only. This ban does NOT cover Wales as a whole. Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, the valleys, mid and north Wales and the Welsh Water areas of Herefordshire and Cheshire are not restricted. The great majority of Welsh Water customers are unaffected: the ban covers a single water supply zone of around 33,000 properties in mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire. Welsh Water says the ban covers around 33,000 properties in a single water supply zone. That is the company's own figure for the restricted area, not its customer base, which is around 3 million people across Wales. £1,000 maximum per violation.
- Yorkshire Water (Yorkshire region): No TUB in Force: Drought Level 1 in the Grid Resource Zone. Approximately 5 million across the Yorkshire region affected. No fines currently: no TUB in force.
- Severn Trent (Midlands): Normal Operations: No Restrictions. Approximately 8 million affected. No fines currently: no TUB in force.
- United Utilities (North West): Normal Operations: No Restrictions. Approximately 7 million affected. No fines currently: no TUB in force.
- Northumbrian Water (North East + Essex & Suffolk): Normal Operations: No Restrictions. Approximately 4.5 million across both service areas affected. No fines currently: no TUB in force.
- Scottish Water (Scotland (separate regime)): Normal Operations: Devolved Regime. Approximately 5 million affected. No fines currently: separate Scottish regime.
Frequently asked questions
Which UK water companies have a hosepipe ban?
Ten water companies have declared formal Temporary Use Bans for summer 2026, and the map above is the live list: 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); Wessex Water (Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire + parts of Hants and Gloucs, The whole Wessex Water supply area in force since 18 August 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). There is no Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban in 2026, and Thames or Yorkshire bans with an August start date are recycled coverage. Red regions on the map are under an active ban across the whole region. A region shown in red and green stripes has a ban in only part of it: Welsh Water's ban covers one supply zone in west Wales, not Wales as a whole.
Is there a hosepipe ban in my area?
Use the interactive map above to see your regional status at a glance, then click through to your water company's page for the full detail. For your exact supplier (which can differ along regional boundaries), use the postcode checker at /uk/water-restrictions/check-postcode which returns your specific water company from your postcode.
How often is this map updated?
The map reads live from our water-companies data at request time, so a status change in the data recolours the map without a code change. During heatwave weeks we typically update several times a week as companies declare or escalate. The current map reflects the data as verified on 17 August 2026. Anglian Water declared the largest ban of the summer on 10 July.
What is the fine for breaking a hosepipe ban?
The maximum fine for breaching a Temporary Use Ban under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 is £1,000 per violation. In practice, most water companies issue a written warning before any fine. Repeated violations after a warning attract financial penalty. Priority Services Register customers with medical needs may be exempt; drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and hand watering with a shut-off nozzle are typically exempt.
Hosepipe ban by county
Sources: Anglian Water, Affinity Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Cambridge Water, Yorkshire Water and Thames Water official statements, and Environment Agency weekly water situation reports.