UK Hosepipe Ban Updates 2026: Latest Changes by Company
Published: July 8, 2026
As of Wednesday, 8 July 2026, 3 UK water companies have active or declared Temporary Use Bans: Southern Water, Yorkshire Water, South East Water. The most recent change: Yorkshire Water TUB takes effect across Yorkshire region (Saturday, 11 July 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 declaredSouthern Water · Hampshire, Isle of Wight, and parts of Kent and Sussex · TUB Declared: Effective 00:01 Friday 10 July 2026
- TUB declaredYorkshire Water · Yorkshire region: West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding · TUB Declared: Effective 11 July 2026
- TUB activeSouth East Water · South East Water serves Kent and parts of Sussex, Surrey and Berkshire. The 3 July 2026 TUB applies to the Kent supply area ONLY. The ban does NOT apply to South East Water's Sussex, Surrey or Berkshire areas, which the company has explicitly excluded. · TUB Active: Kent (from 3 July 2026)
- AdvisoryThames Water · London plus Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, and parts of Gloucestershire · Advisory: Urging Customers to Limit Hosepipe Use
- MonitoringAnglian Water · East Anglia and East Midlands: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, parts of Essex · Drought Level 1: TUB Not in Place but Not Ruled Out
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.
Yorkshire Water TUB takes effect across Yorkshire region
Yorkshire Water's Temporary Use Ban comes into force on Friday 11 July 2026 across approximately 5 million customers in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and East Riding. Reservoir storage is around 55.8% of capacity, well below seasonal norms. Maximum fine £1,000 per breach.
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.
- 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.
- TUB declaredYorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water announces TUB effective 11 July
Yorkshire Water declares a Temporary Use Ban for the Yorkshire region with effect from Friday 11 July 2026. Date brought forward from an earlier late-August projection after reservoir storage fell to approximately 55.8% during the June 2026 heatwave. Environment Agency drought status declared for Yorkshire on 12 June 2026.
- 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 England and Yorkshire.
- 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.
- ContextEnvironment Agency
Environment Agency declares drought status for Yorkshire
The Environment Agency formally declares the Yorkshire region in drought status on 12 June 2026 following sustained rainfall deficit and reservoir stress. The declaration triggers Yorkshire Water's drought management plan and moves the region toward a Temporary Use Ban.
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 . For your exact area, use the postcode checker.
Frequently asked questions
Which UK water companies have a hosepipe ban right now?
As of the most recent update on this page, three UK water companies have declared formal Temporary Use Bans in summer 2026: South East Water (Kent only, in force from 3 July), Southern Water (Hampshire and Isle of Wight, from 00:01 Friday 10 July), and Yorkshire Water (Yorkshire region, from Friday 11 July). Thames Water has issued an advisory urging London and Thames Valley customers to stop using hosepipes but has not declared a formal TUB. Anglian Water has moved to drought level 1 in Norfolk, Norwich, Broads, and Fenland and has stated it cannot completely rule out a ban.
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.
When does the Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban start?
Yorkshire Water's Temporary Use Ban takes effect on Friday 11 July 2026 across approximately 5 million customers in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and East Riding. Yorkshire reservoir storage is around 55.8% of capacity, below seasonal norms.
Has Thames Water or Anglian Water declared a hosepipe ban?
Neither has declared a formal Temporary Use Ban as of the most recent update on this page. Thames Water has issued an active advisory urging customers to stop using hosepipes across London and the Thames Valley. Anglian Water has escalated Norfolk, Norwich, Broads, and Fenland water resource zones to drought level 1 and has stated it cannot completely rule out a formal TUB this summer.
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.