The short answer
Check your water company's website to see if it's your area and where bottled water is being handed out. Use bottled or stored water only for drinking, washing your hands and preparing food. Flush the toilet with rainwater or other non-drinking water, and never drink it. If you're on your water company's Priority Services Register, it should arrange water for you. Check on neighbours who may need help. When the water comes back, run the cold tap nearest your stop tap until it runs clear. GOV.UK Be Ready says keep 3 litres of drinking water per person per day for 3 days.
Prints the checklist without the menus.
Do this now
- Check your water company's website. Is it your area? Where are the bottled water stations?
- Save your water. Bottled or stored water only for drinking, washing hands and preparing food.
- Flush with rainwater or other non-drinking water. Never drink it.
- On the Priority Services Register? Your water company should arrange water for you.
- Check on neighbours who may need extra help.
- When it comes back: run the cold tap nearest your stop tap until it runs clear.
Free: the Alert Action Card
The first six steps for a nuclear or radiation alert, a missile or air attack alert, no water from the tap and a power cut, on one page for the fridge, plus a phone version you can open offline. Every step checked against GOV.UK, UKHSA and Be Ready on 3 November 2026. No sign-up needed.
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Step by step
1. Find out if it's just you
- Look at your water company's website for service updates and for places to collect bottled water (GOV.UK Be Ready).
- Don't know your company? Use Water UK's supplier finder. The number is also on your bill.
- If only your home is affected, check your stop tap is open and look for a frozen or burst pipe.
2. Make your water last
Be Ready says use bottled or alternative water only for:
- drinking
- washing your hands
- preparing food
The UK Chief Medical Officers' advice for a long outage is to wash hands in one shared bowl of soapy water rather than pouring from bottles (CMO water and sanitation scripts, Dec 2025).
3. The toilet
- Be Ready says rainwater from a water butt can be used for flushing toilets or watering plants, but not for drinking.
- Pour a bucket into the bowl to flush.
4. Get help if you need it
- If you're on your water company's Priority Services Register, Be Ready says the company will arrange alternative supplies for you.
- If you're eligible and not on it, sign up once the water is back.
5. Check on neighbours
Older neighbours, families with babies and people with health conditions may need help collecting water.
6. When the water comes back
- Brown or cloudy water is common. Be Ready says run the cold tap nearest your stop tap (usually under the kitchen sink) until it clears.
- If your water company issues a boil water notice, follow it until it's lifted.
How much to store (before it happens)
GOV.UK Be Ready recommends 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, for 3 days:
| Household | Water to store |
|---|---|
| 1 person | 9 litres |
| 2 people | 18 litres |
| 4 people | 36 litres |
Add extra for babies, pets and medical devices.
Compensation
Under the amounts announced on GOV.UK on 2 July 2025, if your supply isn't restored on time your household gets £50, plus £50 for each further 12 hours, paid automatically. Our no water supply guide has the full table.
Last checked
Steps checked against GOV.UK Be Ready on 3 November 2026. This is general information, not professional advice. Follow your water company's instructions on the day. In danger? Call 999.
What to buy
About these links: plain links to ordinary retailer pages. We may earn from some links in future; we don't now. We haven’t tested these and we don’t rank them: they are examples that were in stock when we checked. Prices change. Check what you already own first. Full kit list
Bottled water
Look for: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days, for drinking. More for babies, pets and medical devices.
- Seven Oceans Emergency Drinking Water 0.5l (5-year shelf life) · EVAQ8 · £3.94 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
Food-grade water containers with lids
Look for: Food-grade, with a lid, never one that held chemicals, fuel or paint. Date the water you store.
No-rinse body wash
Look for: Lets you wash without running water.
- No Rinse Waterless Body Wash 200 ml · EVAQ8 · £5.40 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
Frequently asked questions
Who do I contact if I have no water?
Your water company. Be Ready says check its website first for service updates in your area and for places to pick up alternative water. The phone number is on your water bill.
How much water should I store?
GOV.UK Be Ready recommends 3 litres of drinking water per person per day for 3 days. For a household of four that is 36 litres. Add extra for babies, pets and medical devices.
What should I use bottled water for?
Be Ready says use bottled or other alternative water only for drinking, washing your hands and preparing food.
How do I flush the toilet with no water?
Be Ready says rainwater, for example from a water butt, can be used for flushing toilets or watering plants. Don't drink it. Pour a bucket of it into the bowl to flush.
Will my water company bring water to me?
If you're on your water company's Priority Services Register, Be Ready says the company will arrange alternative supplies for you. If you're eligible and not registered, sign up when things are back to normal.
Why is my water brown when it comes back?
Be Ready says discoloured water is common after an outage. Run the cold tap nearest your stop tap, usually under the kitchen sink, until it clears. If it doesn't, contact your water company.
Do I get compensation?
Often, yes. Under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme amounts announced on GOV.UK on 2 July 2025, if supply isn't restored on time a household gets £50, plus £50 for each further 12 hours, credited automatically. See our full no water supply guide for the details.
Sources
We opened each page on the date shown. Official advice changes: if a source says something different now, follow the source.
- GOV.UK Be Ready: Water supply interruptions or outages (read 3 November 2026)
- GOV.UK (Defra, 2 July 2025): Customers to receive up to £2,000 for water service failures (read 2 November 2026)
- UK Chief Medical Officers (GOV.UK, 16 Dec 2025): Water and sanitation scripts for broadcast media (read 2 November 2026)
- Water UK: Find your water supplier (read 28 October 2026)
Related guides
- No water supply: what to do, and what you're entitled to
- Emergency water at home: how much to store and how
- Boil water notice: what it means and what to do
- Priority Services Register: a plain guide
We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.
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