Hosepipe bans: what they mean, and how to check if one applies to you

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When a dry spell goes on, people start asking whether a hosepipe ban is coming and what it would cover. This guide explains what a ban is, how to check whether one applies to you, and how to use less water at home without giving up anything that matters for health. It follows the GOV.UK Be Ready droughts page and advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

What is a hosepipe ban?

A hosepipe ban is the everyday name for a Temporary Use Ban. Be Ready says water companies may enforce one to conserve water in dry spells.

While a ban applies where you live, Be Ready says you can't use a hosepipe connected to the mains for things like:

• watering the garden
• filling a paddling pool
• washing your car

Each company publishes its own notice, which sets out the details and any exceptions. Be Ready links Ofwat's explainer on hosepipe bans for more.

How to check if a ban applies to you

Be Ready says water companies decide whether to bring in a ban. So the answer is always with your own company.

• Find your water company. It's on your water bill, or use Water UK's supplier finder.
• Check its website for any restrictions in force. Be Ready suggests checking regularly in dry weather.
• Watch your local news.
• Sign up for your company's alerts, as UKHSA suggests, and report any change in your supply, such as lower pressure.

If you want the bigger picture, Be Ready points to the Environment Agency's monthly water situation reports and weekly rainfall and river flow reports for England, and to Natural Resources Wales for drought planning in Wales.

What a ban doesn't change

A ban is about hosepipes and non-essential use. It isn't a reason to cut back on things that keep you well.

• Keep drinking. UKHSA says keep drinking enough and don't cut back to save water. Keep drinking tap water unless you're told otherwise, and carry water when you travel in hot weather.
• Keep washing your hands, especially when you get home, after coughing or sneezing, and before and after handling food.
• Keep washing food and kitchen things as normal.

If your water supply changes or stops, contact your water company. Be Ready's water outage page covers what to do.

Simple ways to save water at home

These come from Be Ready's droughts page. Most cost nothing.

In the bathroom

• Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hands. Be Ready says a running tap can waste up to 6 litres a minute.
• Have a shower instead of a bath.
• Check toilets for leaks, which can go unnoticed.
• Fit a water-saving device in your toilet cistern. Be Ready says older cisterns can use up to 13 litres per flush, while modern ones use 6 litres or less. UKHSA notes many water-saving devices are free from your water company.

In the kitchen and utility room

• Run the washing machine and dishwasher only when they're full, and use eco mode if you have it.
• Don't pour away water you could reuse, for example on plants.

Outside

• Use a watering can instead of a hosepipe.
• Fit a water butt if you can, to catch rainwater for the garden.
• Wash the car less often, and use a bucket rather than a hosepipe.

Who may need extra help in dry, hot weather

Be Ready lists people most at risk when a drought comes with a heatwave: older adults, babies and young children, people with serious long-term conditions, people with serious mental health problems or on certain medicines, people who are active outdoors, and people who are homeless.

UKHSA asks you to check on isolated neighbours, relatives and friends. If someone you care for may need extra help with water, ask their water company to add them to its Priority Services Register. Our Priority Services Register guide explains how.

Other dry-weather advice

UKHSA also suggests:

• carrying an inhaler during dry spells if you use one, as air quality and pollen can get worse
• checking the UK-AIR pollution forecast
• keeping windows and doors shut if wildfire smoke is affecting your area
• taking care at lakes and rivers, where low water can make swimming more dangerous (Be Ready says the same)

Drought can be stressful, especially for people whose work depends on water. UKHSA suggests talking to friends or family, NHS Every Mind Matters, NHS 111 or your GP.

Our extreme weather guide covers heat-health alerts and wildfires in more detail, and our water storage guide explains how much drinking water Be Ready suggests keeping at home: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days.

Limitations

This is general information based on GOV.UK Be Ready and UKHSA pages, checked on 28 October 2026. It doesn't say whether any ban is in place today. Each water company sets its own rules, dates and exceptions, so your company's notice is the one to follow. Arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland are run by Scottish Water and NI Water.

If you'd like one place for your water company's details, shut-offs and household contacts, the Household Emergency Plan Pack has fillable pages with official UK numbers already filled in.

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Sources

1. GOV.UK Be Ready: Droughts (checked 28 Oct 2026)
2. UKHSA: Drought, advice for the public (checked 28 Oct 2026)
3. GOV.UK Be Ready: Water supply interruptions or outages (checked 28 Oct 2026)

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