UK Hosepipe Ban Updates 2026: Latest Changes by Company
Published: July 8, 2026 · Updated:
As of Sunday, 23 August 2026, 10 UK water companies have active or declared Temporary Use Bans: 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). The most recent change: Southern Water's business water ban is still undecided after the consultation closed (Monday, 17 August 2026).
Current status snapshot
Compact live view of the companies with active or declared TUBs and current advisories. This summary reads from the same live data as the hub, map, and postcode checker.
- TUB activeSouthern Water · Southern Water supplies Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex. The Temporary Use Ban applies to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight supply area ONLY. Southern Water has confirmed the ban does NOT apply to its Sussex customers, and it does not apply to its Kent customers either. · TUB Active: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in force since 10 July 2026
- TUB activeSouth East Water · South East Water serves Kent and parts of Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, and its Temporary Use Ban now covers the ENTIRE supply area under two legal notices. Kent has been in force since 00:01 on Friday 3 July 2026. Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire were announced on 18 July and come into force at 00:01 on Saturday 25 July 2026; until then South East Water is urging customers there to follow the restrictions straight away. · TUB Active: Kent in force since 3 July 2026; Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire in force since 25 July 2026
- TUB activeThames Water · Thames Water supplies drinking water across London, the Thames Valley and the home counties, including Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and parts of Gloucestershire. The Temporary Use Ban covers its whole water-supply area. Customers who receive only wastewater services from Thames Water, and customers supplied with water by another company, are NOT covered. · TUB Active: The Thames Water drinking-water supply area (London, the Thames Valley and the home counties) in force since 23 July 2026
- TUB activeAnglian Water · The Anglian Water region across the East of England, covering Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Peterborough and Suffolk, plus parts of Leicestershire. The Temporary Use Ban applies across the region with ONE exception: Hartlepool. Hartlepool is supplied by Hartlepool Water, a separate Anglian Water entity drawing on its own limestone aquifer sources and treatment works at Dalton Piercy, in its own water resource zone. Hartlepool Water customers are not covered by this ban. Anglian Water's own reason is that water resources in that area are not under the same pressure as elsewhere in the region. · TUB Active: East of England (except Hartlepool) in force since 10 July 2026
- TUB activeCambridge Water · The Cambridge Water supply region, roughly 1,175 square kilometres of Cambridgeshire and parts of Bedfordshire, running from Ramsey in the north to Melbourn in the south, and Gamlingay in the west to Balsham in the east. Towns and villages served include Ramsey, Warboys, St Ives, Fenstanton, Cambridge, Cottenham and Papworth Everard. Cambridge Water is part of the South Staffs Water group but supplies a completely separate region: this ban does NOT apply to the South Staffs Water supply area in the West Midlands. · TUB Active: Cambridge region in force since 9 July 2026
- TUB activeAffinity Water · 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. · TUB Active: Central region in force since 17 July 2026
- TUB activeWessex Water · Wessex Water supplies the South West inland region, covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and parts of Hampshire and Gloucestershire. The Temporary Use Ban applies to all customers in that region who Wessex Water supplies with water. Bristol Water is a separate company, so a Bristol address is not automatically a Wessex Water one. · TUB Active: The whole Wessex Water supply area in force since 18 August 2026
- TUB activeSouth West Water · South West Water supplies Devon, Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly. From 00:01 on Saturday 8 August 2026 the Temporary Use Ban covers all of them: every South West Water customer, not a set of named towns. · 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
- TUB activeEssex & Suffolk Water · Essex & Suffolk Water supplies two separate areas: much of Essex (including Southend, Chelmsford, Colchester and parts of east London) and part of Suffolk around Lowestoft. The Temporary Use Ban covers ALL household customers across the whole supply area. It does not apply to business customers. · TUB Active: All household customers across the Essex and Suffolk supply area in force since 3 August 2026
- TUB activeWelsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) · Welsh Water supplies most of Wales plus parts of Herefordshire and Cheshire near the Welsh border. The Temporary Use Ban applies ONLY to one supply zone in west Wales: mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire. The rest of Wales is not covered. · TUB Active: Mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire in force since 19 July 2026
- MonitoringYorkshire Water · Yorkshire region: West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding · No TUB in Force: Drought Level 1 in the Grid Resource Zone
Companies operating normally are not shown here. See the full hub table for every UK water company.
UK hosepipe ban changelog (newest first)
Every dated change we track, sourced from the company's own site, the Environment Agency, or the Met Office. Future-dated events are marked as such; each links to the source that announced or confirmed it.
- ContextSouthern Water
Southern Water's business water ban is still undecided after the consultation closed
An update on the Non-Essential Use Ban Southern Water is seeking for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The public consultation closed on Tuesday 11 August 2026 and no decision has been published. The Environment Agency's own drought report for 7 to 13 August, updated 14 August, records the application as made to Defra on 31 July and still lists it as applied for. The decision rests with the Secretary of State, so nothing has changed for businesses: the ban is not in force and may be refused. Bans of this kind are rare, the last Southern Water ones having been made in 2006. The separate hosepipe ban restricting households across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight remains in force throughout and is unaffected by this application.
- TUB declaredWessex Water
Wessex Water becomes the tenth company with a ban, in force from 18 August
Wessex Water announced on Monday 17 August 2026 that it is introducing a Temporary Use Ban, in force from 00:01 on Tuesday 18 August. It applies to all customers in the Wessex Water region that the company supplies with water, across Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and parts of Hampshire and Gloucestershire, rather than to a subset of towns. Wessex Water says it has been 50 years since water restrictions were last needed in its region, which puts the previous occasion at the drought of 1976. The company gives the cause as months of unprecedented dry weather, repeated heatwaves and forecasts for more hot conditions, with record levels of demand and no significant rain forecast. This is an escalation from the advisory position we had recorded all summer, and it takes the UK total from nine companies to TEN. Note for anyone cross-checking the count against Water UK: its list currently names Essex and Suffolk Water twice, so it reads as ten names for nine companies, and it does not yet include Wessex. Our count derives from our own verified company records.
- ContextEnvironment Agency
National Drought Group puts 71.3 per cent of England in drought
At its meeting on Monday 10 August 2026 the National Drought Group reported 71.3 per cent of England in drought, with more than 27 million customers under water-use restrictions. Ten areas are now in drought: East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, the Thames Valley, Devon and Cornwall, Wessex, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs. The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs moved up into drought at this meeting. The remaining four areas, Cumbria and Lancashire, Greater Manchester with Merseyside and Cheshire, the North East and Yorkshire, are in prolonged dry weather, so no part of England is now in normal status. Drought status is the Environment Agency's assessment of water resources and is a separate instrument from a hosepipe ban, which is a water company's own Section 76 decision: Yorkshire is in prolonged dry weather and still has no ban.
- EscalationSouth West Water
South West Water extends its ban from named Devon towns to the whole region
South West Water announced on Friday 7 August that its hosepipe ban extends from named Mid and East Devon towns to every customer it supplies: all of Devon, all of Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly, around 1.8 million people. It comes into force at 00:01 on Saturday 8 August 2026, and the company asks customers to follow the restrictions immediately rather than waiting. This supersedes the 14 July zone-level ban, under which Cornwall, Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay were genuinely unrestricted, so coverage saying those places are exempt is now out of date. South West Water gives the cause as prolonged dry weather, rainfall significantly below seasonal averages and continued high demand; the Environment Agency has declared half of England, including the South West, in drought. This is an expansion of an existing ban, so the UK total stays at nine companies. Note on wording: some local coverage says midnight on Friday 7 August, which is the same instant phrased loosely. South West Water's own page says 00:01 on Saturday 8 August.
- ContextSouthern Water
Southern Water applies for a drought order and a Non-Essential Use Ban for businesses
Southern Water applied to Defra for a drought order and a Non-Essential Use Ban covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with a public consultation running from Tuesday 4 August to Tuesday 11 August 2026. This is a different legal instrument from the hosepipe ban already in force: a TUB restricts households under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, while a NEUB made under a drought order restricts businesses and is granted by government rather than by the company. Per Ofwat, a NEUB would stop firms filling or maintaining non-domestic pools, paddling pools and ponds, running mechanical vehicle washers, and cleaning vehicles or non-domestic premises. The drought order would separately let Southern Water keep abstracting from the River Test at lower flows than its licence normally allows. It is applied for and not granted: Southern Water says these are precautionary measures and that making an application does not mean they will be introduced. The household hosepipe ban is unaffected and stays in force.
- TUB activeEssex & Suffolk Water
Essex & Suffolk Water bans hosepipes for all household customers, its first since 1997
Essex & Suffolk Water's Temporary Use Ban came into force at 00:01 on Monday 3 August 2026 for all household customers across its whole supply area, in both Essex and the Suffolk area around Lowestoft. It is the company's first hosepipe ban since 1997 and does not apply to business customers. The company cites months of prolonged dry weather, little to no rainfall across East Anglia in July, four successive heatwaves, demand around 29 million litres a day above normal, and combined reservoir storage around 69 per cent. Essex & Suffolk Water is a separate company from Anglian Water, which has had its own ban in force since 11 July, so parts of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are now covered by two different companies' bans on different dates.
- TUB activeSouth East Water
South East Water's ban takes effect across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire
The second of South East Water's two legal notices came into force at 00:01 on Saturday 25 July 2026, extending the ban from Kent to the company's entire supply area. Kent has been in force since 3 July. South East Water's own page now reads that a Temporary Use Ban is in force in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants and Berks. For Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire these are the first temporary restrictions in 14 years, since 2012.
- TUB activeThames Water
Thames Water's hosepipe ban comes into force
Thames Water's Temporary Use Ban came into force at 00:01 on Thursday 23 July 2026 across its whole water supply area, covering around 10.1 million drinking-water customers. The company says restrictions will be lifted as soon as conditions allow. This was the company's escalation from an advisory to a formal ban, announced on 21 July.
- TUB declaredThames Water
Thames Water becomes the eighth company with a ban, in force from 23 July
Thames Water announced a formal Temporary Use Ban on Tuesday 21 July 2026, in force from 00:01 on Thursday 23 July, and asked customers to comply immediately ahead of the start. It covers the roughly 10.1 million customers Thames Water supplies with drinking water across London, the Thames Valley and the home counties, its whole water-supply area rather than the postcode zones its 2025 bans used. Wastewater-only customers and customers supplied with water by another company are excluded. Thames Water gives the cause as demand around 10 per cent above normal in the Thames Valley and home counties and 7 per cent in London, about 100 million extra litres a day, after 40 per cent of average spring rainfall and three heatwaves. This is the escalation from the advisory we had been tracking. Note: articles giving an August start date, a 16 million or 29.4 million figure, or a Yorkshire ban following on 26 August are recycled 2022 and 2025 stories, not this ban.
- TUB activeWelsh Water (Dŵr Cymru)
Welsh Water becomes the seventh company with a ban, covering parts of west Wales
Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) issued a public notice on Saturday 18 July and brought a Temporary Use Ban into force at 10:00 on Sunday 19 July 2026. It covers around 33,000 properties in a single supply zone: mid and south Ceredigion with parts of north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire, from Llanon and Tregaron across to Crymych and Nevern and down to Farmers, Pencader and Hermon. This is not a Wales-wide ban, and it is not a drought ban: Welsh Water says plainly that it is not being introduced because there is a shortage of water in its reservoirs, but because sustained demand around 20 per cent above normal has outrun what two treatment works can treat and store during peak hours. The environmental regulator in Wales is Natural Resources Wales, not the Environment Agency.
- TUB declaredSouth East Water
South East Water extends its ban to the entire supply area from 25 July
South East Water announced that its Temporary Use Ban extends from Kent to the whole of its supply area: Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire come into force at 00:01 on Saturday 25 July 2026 under a second legal notice, and the company urges customers there to follow the restrictions straight away. The reasons differ by region: for Sussex, abstraction from the River Cuckmere has been paused and Arlington Reservoir has reached its Drought Plan trigger after 55 per cent of average rainfall since March; for Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire these are the first restrictions in 14 years, since 2012. The ban was initially Kent only (in force since 3 July), which our earlier coverage correctly reported at the time.
- ContextSouthern Water
Clarification: the 'ban lifted' message in search results is Southern Water's autumn 2025 announcement
An older page on Southern Water's own website, still appearing in search results, carries the autumn 2025 lift announcement: the 2025 ban ran from 21 July 2025 and was lifted on 31 October 2025 after a wet autumn. The 2026 ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is separate. It took effect on Friday 10 July 2026, remains in force, and no lift has been announced: there is no 2026 lift coverage anywhere, and a lift affecting around a million customers would be widely reported within hours.
- TUB activeCambridge Water
Cambridge Water hosepipe ban became legally enforceable
Cambridge Water's Temporary Use Ban became enforceable at 01:00 on Friday 17 July 2026, having been in place since 9 July. A breach can now be prosecuted, with a court able to impose a fine of up to £1,000. Approximately 350,000 households are affected.
- TUB activeAffinity Water
Affinity Water hosepipe ban became enforceable
Affinity Water's Temporary Use Ban became enforceable from 00:01 on Friday 17 July 2026, issued under Section 76B of the Water Industry Act 1991. Around 3.8 million people across its Central region are covered, and with Cambridge Water's ban enforceable from the same morning, every restriction in both companies' notices can now be enforced. Affinity supplies water only, so affected households often share a postcode with unaffected Thames Water or Anglian Water customers.
- TUB activeSouth West Water
South West Water introduces the summer's first partial-area hosepipe ban
South West Water introduced a Temporary Use Ban at 12:00 (noon) on Tuesday 14 July 2026, covering named areas of Mid Devon and parts of East Devon: Tiverton, Cullompton, Bampton, Honiton, South Molton, Dunkeswell, Axminster, Lyme Regis and surrounding areas. This is the summer's first zone-level ban rather than a regional one. The rest of the South West Water region, including Cornwall, Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay, is unaffected, and the Crediton area is not currently included. South West Water says demand has run around 5.4 million litres a day above normal after two extreme heatwaves in three weeks, leaving treatment works at maximum capacity, and that it will lift the restrictions once demand returns to normal for the time of year.
- ContextUnited Utilities
No United Utilities hosepipe ban: '5 August' reports are recycled 2018 coverage
Aggregator reports of a United Utilities Temporary Use Ban for the North West from 'Sunday 5 August' recycle the 2018 announcement: 5 August fell on a Sunday in 2018 but falls on a Wednesday in 2026, and the 2018 ban was cancelled on 2 August 2018 before it ever took effect. On 10 July 2026 United Utilities said reservoir levels in the North West are above average for the time of year, and its own site publishes no TUB notice. United Utilities remains on normal operations.
- TUB activeAnglian Water
Anglian Water hosepipe ban became legally enforceable
Anglian Water's Temporary Use Ban became enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July 2026, having been in place since the previous day. More than 5 million water-supply customers are covered, across the region except Hartlepool. Maximum fine £1,000 per breach.
- TUB declaredAffinity Water
Affinity Water announces a hosepipe ban for its Central region
Affinity Water announced a Temporary Use Ban for its Central region, covering around 3.8 million people across parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey and parts of London. Restrictions are enforceable from 00:01 on Friday 17 July 2026. Because Affinity is a water-only supplier, some customers on the ban share a postcode district with Thames Water or Anglian Water customers who are not.
- TUB declaredAnglian Water
Anglian Water declares its first hosepipe ban since 2012
Anglian Water announced a Temporary Use Ban on Friday 10 July 2026, its first since 2012 and the largest of the summer at more than 5 million water-supply customers. Restrictions are in place immediately and enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July. The ban covers the Anglian region EXCEPT Hartlepool, which is supplied by Hartlepool Water, a separate Anglian entity in its own resource zone. The company cites the second driest spring on record, when only 39 per cent of expected rain fell, and record demand across three heatwaves.
- ContextYorkshire Water
Correction: there is no Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban in 2026
We previously listed a Yorkshire Water Temporary Use Ban effective 11 July 2026. That was wrong. Yorkshire Water's own status page states no restrictions are in place and its water resources are healthier than a year ago, and the Environment Agency's 18 to 26 June 2026 report records that the company has no dry weather concerns. The 11 July date belongs to the 2025 ban, which ran from Friday 11 July 2025 and was lifted on 10 December 2025. In 2026, 11 July is a Saturday.
- TUB activeSouthern Water
Southern Water TUB takes effect in Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Southern Water's Temporary Use Ban comes into force at 00:01 on Friday 10 July 2026 across approximately 1 million customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Sussex customers not included). Second year running for the region. Prolonged dry weather and low river levels drove the declaration; a third heatwave of summer 2026 arrives this weekend. Maximum fine £1,000 per breach.
- TUB declaredCambridge Water
Cambridge Water restrictions come into place across its region
Hosepipe restrictions are in place across the Cambridge Water region from 9 July 2026. Cambridge Water asks customers to observe them from this date, though the ban does not become legally enforceable until 01:00 on Friday 17 July. Demand had risen roughly 30 per cent to a record 112 million litres a day.
- TUB declaredCambridge Water
Cambridge Water announces its first hosepipe ban in over 30 years
Cambridge Water announced a Temporary Use Ban covering approximately 350,000 households, its first in more than 30 years. The company cites one of the driest springs in recent years, exceptionally warm weather through June, and a duty to protect the groundwater sources and internationally rare chalk streams that depend on them. Cambridge Water is part of the South Staffs Water group but supplies a separate region; the South Staffs area is not affected.
- EscalationAnglian Water
Anglian Water enters drought level 1 in Norfolk, Norwich, Broads and Fenland
Anglian Water publicly states it is not putting bans in place at the moment but cannot completely rule them out for this summer. The Norfolk, Norwich, Broads, and Fenland water resource zones have moved into drought level 1. Voluntary restraint requested; no formal Temporary Use Ban has been declared.
- ContextMet Office
Third heatwave of summer 2026 forecast for this weekend
The Met Office forecasts the third heatwave of the summer arriving across much of England from the weekend, driving demand higher in already-stressed regions. The UK's June 2026 temperature record was 37.3 degrees Celsius at Santon Downham, Suffolk on 26 June.
- TUB activeSouth East Water
South East Water TUB in force in Kent
South East Water's Temporary Use Ban takes effect on Friday 3 July 2026 for approximately 850,000 Kent customers. The ban does NOT extend to Sussex, Surrey, or Berkshire. Maximum fine £1,000 per breach. Announced by South East Water on 25 June following sustained dry conditions and reservoir stress.
- ContextMet Office
UK sets June temperature record at 37.3 degrees Celsius
Santon Downham, Suffolk records 37.3 degrees Celsius on 26 June 2026, the highest UK June temperature on record per Met Office. The June 2026 heatwave drives peak water demand higher in already-stressed regions and accelerates TUB declarations across southern and eastern England.
- TUB declaredSouth East Water
South East Water announces Kent TUB effective 3 July
South East Water declares a Temporary Use Ban for its Kent supply area with effect from Friday 3 July 2026. Sussex, Surrey, and Berkshire South East Water customers are not included in this TUB.
- AdvisoryThames Water
Thames Water urges London and Thames Valley customers to stop using hosepipes
Thames Water escalates from passive drought monitoring to an active advisory urging customers to stop using hosepipes across London and the Thames Valley. No formal Temporary Use Ban declared. Approximately 15 million customers advised.
How this page is maintained
Every event on the timeline is verified against the water company's own site (or the Environment Agency / Met Office for context events) before publishing. The current-status snapshot at the top reads from the same live water-companies data as the hub, map, and postcode checker, so it can never contradict them. Last updated Monday, 17 August 2026. For your exact area, use the postcode checker.
Frequently asked questions
Which UK water companies have a hosepipe ban right now?
Ten UK water companies have declared formal Temporary Use Bans in summer 2026: 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). Thames Water is the most recent, announced on 21 July and in force from 00:01 on Thursday 23 July for the roughly 10.1 million customers it supplies with drinking water.
When does the Southern Water hosepipe ban start?
The Southern Water Temporary Use Ban starts at 00:01 on Friday 10 July 2026 across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Approximately 1 million customers are affected. Sussex Southern Water customers are not included. This is the second year running that Southern Water has declared a TUB for the region.
Is there a Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban in 2026?
No. Yorkshire Water's own status page states that no restrictions are in place and that its water resources are healthier than a year ago, and the Environment Agency's 18 to 26 June 2026 report records that the company has no dry weather concerns. Reports of a ban starting on Friday 11 July describe the 2025 ban, which ran from 11 July 2025 and was lifted on 10 December 2025. In 2026, 11 July falls on a Saturday.
Has Thames Water or Anglian Water declared a hosepipe ban?
Anglian Water has. It declared its first hosepipe ban since 2012 on Friday 10 July 2026, in place immediately and enforceable from 01:01 on Saturday 11 July, covering more than 5 million water-supply customers across its region except Hartlepool. Thames Water, England's largest water company, escalated from advisory to a formal Temporary Use Ban on 21 July, in force from 00:01 on Thursday 23 July for the roughly 10.1 million customers it supplies with drinking water.
How do I check if my area is affected?
Use our UK postcode checker to identify your exact water company and its current TUB status from your postcode. Regional boundaries can split individual streets, so the postcode lookup is more reliable than the map for edge cases.
How often is this page updated?
Whenever a water company announces a change (declaration, activation, escalation, or lifting), the timeline data on this page is updated and the page's dateModified is refreshed. In heatwave weeks the update cadence is several times per week; in normal conditions it is monthly. Every event is sourced from the company's own site or the Environment Agency.