Thames Water Hosepipe Ban 2026: Who’s Affected, Dates, Rules

Earlier this year, providers like Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, South East Water, and Southern Water enforced a temporary usage ban (TUB) for millions of Brits.

This is also known as a hosepipe ban.

And on Tuesday, 21 July, Thames Water announced that it will join them.

The company will implement a TUB “for customers who receive their water supply from Thames Water” (it doesn’t include people who only get waste water services from them, though).

Here’s why it’s in place, who it may affect, and what a hosepipe ban actually means in practice:

Their site says it’s due to a mixture of dry weather, long heatwaves, little rain, high demand and forecasts that suggest we’ll have more hot spells this year.

Thames Water’s director of strategic water resources, Nevil Muncaster, said: “We would not be taking this step unless it was necessary to protect water supplies for everyone and the environment.”

The TUB will officially come into effect on Thursday, 23 July.

Thames Water does not yet know when the TUB will end, saying that “restrictions will be lifted as soon as conditions allow”.

If you receive a bill from Thames Water, the TUB will apply to you.

The company serves areas including all or parts of:

• Gloucestershire
• Wiltshire
• Surrey
• the Thames Valley
• Greater London and surrounding areas
• Essex

It has about 16 million customers all-in.

If you’re not sure whether you’re subject to the ban, you can find your water supplier here.

You can’t run water from your mains through a hosepipe for something like filling a swimming pool, washing a car or watering your garden. But you can use watering cans and water butts for gardening and a bucket for cleaning your vehicle.

You can’t use anything that does the job of a hosepipe to do this, like sprinklers or pressure washers, either. You could face a fine of up to £1,000 if you do.

However, you can use grey water – unused water from e.g. your sink or bath – to water plants.

People who only use Thames Water’s wastewater services are exempt from the ban (though they may be subject to a TUB from another company, so check if this applies to you).

They added that more details on exemptions will be available when the ban comes into force on 23 July.