Hosepipe Ban in Surrey 2026: Is Surrey Affected?
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Parts of Surrey are affected. Surrey is served by more than one water company, and at least one has a hosepipe ban in force, so whether your address is included depends on your supplier. Check your postcode to find out.
Surrey is split across Affinity Water (ban from 17 July), Thames Water, SES Water and South East Water. Check your postcode.
Check your exact address
Supply boundaries do not follow county lines. The only reliable answer is your postcode.
Check your postcode →Who supplies Surrey
Surrey does not have a single water company. The suppliers below each cover part of the county, and their bans (where they have one) start on different dates. We will not guess which one serves your address, because the boundaries follow historical infrastructure rather than the county line. Your water bill names your supplier, and the postcode checker returns every candidate for your postcode.
Affinity Water
TUB Active: Central region (enforceable from 17 July 2026)Dates: 17 July 2026 (enforceable from 00:01, Friday 17 July 2026)
Banned: 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.
Still allowed: Watering with a watering can or bucket is always allowed, as is water from a butt or other non-mains source. Affinity Water's notice exempts customers on the Priority Services Register, customers on the WaterSure tariff, and Blue Badge holders, who may continue to use a hosepipe without making representations. Businesses may use a hosepipe where it is directly needed for their commercial activities. Other exceptions are set out in Affinity Water's Section 76B legal notice; representations can be made in writing to Affinity Water.
Fine: £1,000 maximum per violation.
Full detail on the Affinity Water page.
Thames Water
Advisory: Urging Customers to Limit Hosepipe UseThames Water has no hosepipe ban in force. Thames Water is actively urging customers across London and the Thames Valley to stop using hosepipes and sprinklers during the June 2026 heatwave. The company is reporting an approximate 50 percent rise in demand and has boosted supply by around one billion litres. No formal Temporary Use Ban has been declared, but the advisory represents an escalation from passive drought monitoring to active customer-facing demand reduction. Thames Water remains under parliamentary special-measures discussion (a financial regulatory matter separate from the drought response).
Full detail on the Thames Water page.
South East Water
TUB Active: Kent (from 3 July 2026)Dates: 3 July 2026 (enforceable from 00:01)
Banned: Watering gardens or plants with a hosepipe; cleaning private cars with a hosepipe; cleaning walls, windows, paths or patios with a hosepipe; filling or maintaining swimming pools, paddling pools and hot tubs; cleaning boats; running ornamental fountains.
Still allowed: Watering with watering can or bucket always allowed. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses exempt. Blue badge holders and Priority Services Register customers may apply for exemption. Commercial food production exempt. Collected rainwater unrestricted. New turf laid BEFORE the start of the ban may be watered by hosepipe in domestic gardens for 28 days (four weeks) after planting or laying, to help it establish. South East Water attaches two conditions: hosepipe watering must be done outside the daily peak hours of 8am to 10am and 5pm to 9pm, and you must be able to provide evidence of the date the works were completed if asked. Watering for longer than 28 days, or failing to evidence the date, is a breach of the ban.
Fine: £1,000 maximum per violation.
Full detail on the South East Water page.
What you can still do in Surrey
A hosepipe ban restricts the hosepipe, not the water. Watering with a can or bucket is always allowed, collected rainwater and greywater are unrestricted, and the exemptions are wider than most people realise. For the full allowed-versus-banned list and how it differs by company, see what you can still do under a hosepipe ban. If you have newly laid turf, the 28-day new turf exemption may apply.
Explore the wider picture
- Is there a hosepipe ban in my area? the national picture and every county.
- UK hosepipe ban map colour-coded by region.
- Postcode checker the exact answer for your address.
- Hosepipe ban fines explained the £1,000 penalty and how enforcement works.
- UK hosepipe ban hub every company and status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a hosepipe ban in Surrey?
Surrey is served by more than one water company (Affinity Water, Thames Water and South East Water), and at least one has a hosepipe ban. Whether your address is affected depends on which company supplies you, so check your postcode or your water bill.
Which water company supplies Surrey?
More than one: Affinity Water, Thames Water and South East Water. Their supply areas follow historical infrastructure, not the county boundary, so Surrey cannot be assigned to a single company. Your water bill names your supplier, and our postcode checker returns every candidate for your postcode.
Is a hosepipe ban set by the council or the water company?
The water company, not the council. A Temporary Use Ban is declared by your water company under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. That is why the answer depends on your supplier and not on which county or district you live in.
How do I check if my Surrey postcode is affected?
Use our UK postcode checker, which maps your postcode to its water company or companies and shows each one's current status. Because Surrey postcodes such as KT, GU, RH can span more than one supplier, the checker returns every candidate with a note to confirm on your bill.
County-to-company routing is a guide, not a guarantee: water supply boundaries follow historical infrastructure, not county lines. The definitive answer for your address is the postcode checker and your water bill. ← Back to UK hosepipe ban status