Everything you need to know about the hosepipe ban
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- Seven water companies have implemented or announced future hosepipe bans after demand for public water supplies rose by up to 30% on the hottest days this July, according to the BBC.
- Thames Water has imposed a temporary usage ban covering 10.1 million customers, prohibiting hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, allotments, filling paddling or swimming pools, and cleaning windows, with sprinkler systems also restricted.
- Exemptions cover health and safety needs, animal welfare, watering food crops and certain newly planted trees, customers with severe mobility issues or medical conditions, wastewater-only customers, and blue badge holders, per the BBC.
- Kew Gardens is exempt from the restrictions but already employs water-conservation measures to protect its 11,000-plus trees in its living collections at the Richmond botanical garden.
- No end date has been set for the ban; water companies say it will remain until resources recover and demand returns to sustainable levels, with enforcement handled through contacting repeat offenders rather than 999 calls.
- Greenpeace UK says water firms in England and Wales are wasting roughly five times more water through leaky pipes than a nationwide hosepipe ban would save, while Thames Water reports its own leaks are down 15.1% against the 2019/20 baseline.
- RHS chief horticulturalist Guy Barter advised gardeners to use stored rainwater or grey water and water deeply but less frequently, urging planting of drought-tolerant species and improved soil health as climate conditions shift.
Why it matters: Thames Water's 10.1-million-customer ban is the largest individual restriction, and the open-ended duration means outdoor water use could be curtailed for weeks with no fixed lift date; meanwhile, Greenpeace UK's claim that leaks waste roughly five times more water than the ban saves puts pressure on utilities to prioritise pipe repair over consumer restrictions.
