Thames Water's temporary hosepipe ban is in force from 00:01 BST on Thursday 23 July 2026. It applies to customers who receive their drinking water from Thames Water — around 10 million people across London and the Thames Valley — and stays in place until the company lifts it. Customers who only receive wastewater (sewage) services from Thames Water are not affected.

The ban was announced on Tuesday 21 July and is a Temporary Use Ban made under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. Thames Water says it follows a prolonged spell of dry weather, low rainfall and higher-than-normal demand across its region.

Who is affected — supply versus wastewater

This is the point most coverage has blurred, so it is worth stating plainly. Thames Water runs two separate services. It supplies drinking water to around 10 million people across London and the Thames Valley, and it provides wastewater (sewage) services to a wider area — its total customer base is often cited at around 16 million. The hosepipe ban applies only to the drinking-water side: the roughly 10 million people Thames Water actually supplies with tap water.

If Thames Water treats your sewage but a different company supplies your drinking water — for example Affinity Water or SES Water in parts of London and the Home Counties — this ban does not apply to you, although your own water company may have its own restrictions. The reliable test is which company supplies your tap water, not who bills you for wastewater.

What's banned

Under the ban, you must not use a hosepipe, sprinkler or pressure washer to:

  • water a garden, lawn or allotment;
  • fill or top up a paddling pool, swimming pool or hot tub;
  • clean a private car or boat, or clean paths, patios, walls, windows and other outdoor surfaces.

What you can still do

You can still water plants and wash the car using a watering can or a bucket, and you can use water collected in a water butt or other grey water. The legal notice also exempts, among others: drip or trickle irrigation fitted with a pressure-reducing valve and timer; Blue Badge holders and people with severe mobility problems; customers on the Priority Services Register with qualifying medical needs; and a range of health-and-safety, animal-welfare and business uses. Newly planted trees, and turf laid as part of a business, have a limited exemption. The full list is in Thames Water's legal notice.

The fine, and how long it lasts

Breaking the ban is a criminal offence: anyone who contravenes it can be prosecuted and, on summary conviction, fined up to £1,000. The ban runs until further notice — Thames Water says it will lift the restrictions once water levels and conditions allow.

Check your own status

Because the ban follows the water-supply boundary rather than a county or city line, the reliable way to know where you stand is to check by postcode. Our hosepipe ban checker identifies your water supplier from your postcode and shows their current status, verified against each company's own announcements. Thames Water is now the eighth company with a ban in force this summer — alongside Affinity, Anglian, Cambridge, South East, South West, Southern and Welsh Water. See our full picture of the 2026 hosepipe bans for the national position.

Source: Thames Water — temporary hosepipe ban page and its statutory legal notice (Water Industry Act 1991, s.76), verified 23 July 2026.