Is there a hosepipe ban in my area?

That depends on your water company and the current weather. Restrictions are announced region by region, so check your supplier's live notice or use a hosepipe-ban postcode checker. This guide explains the general rules and which watering methods stay available.

Is drip irrigation allowed during a hosepipe ban?

In most UK bans, yes. Restrictions typically target garden hoses, sprinklers and pressure washers — the tools that waste water. Low-volume drip irrigation that feeds plant roots directly is widely treated as permitted because it uses a fraction of the water and loses almost nothing to evaporation or run-off.

What exactly is banned in a hosepipe ban?

Standard temporary use bans cover garden hoses and anything attached to one: sprinklers, pressure washers and often automatic unattended watering. Hand-held watering cans and low-volume root irrigation like driplines are usually still allowed.

How do I water my garden legally during a ban?

Water at the roots, not into the air. A watering can for small areas, or a dripline on a tap computer for beds — it delivers water exactly where plants need it and is exempt in most notices. That is the method this guide is built around.

Which UK water companies have had hosepipe bans?

Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and Southern Water have all imposed bans during recent dry summers, and most English suppliers can do the same under a drought order. We keep dedicated guides for the highest-volume regions.

The summer water guide

UK hosepipe ban 2026: what’s allowed, what isn’t.

Bans hit region by region and the wording changes every year — but the principle does not. Restricted tools are the wasteful ones. Here’s what stays legal, and how to keep a garden thriving through a drought order.

Short answer

Hosepipe bans restrict garden hoses, sprinklers and pressure washers. Low-volume drip irrigation that feeds roots directly is allowed in most UK bans — and it keeps beds healthy on a fraction of the water.

What a hosepipe ban actually bans

Usually banned

Garden hoses (attached to a tap)
Sprinklers and lawn sprinklers
Pressure washers (often included)
Unattended automatic systems that waste water

Usually allowed

Drip and soaker irrigation feeding the root zone directly
Hand-held watering cans
Watering new plants by hand where a ban allows it
Reusing rainwater from a butt

Why drip irrigation survives the ban

A ban is a water-saving measure, not a punishment. A sprinkler throws water into the air where it evaporates; a dripline sits at the soil line and feeds the root zone directly. It uses a fraction of the water and loses almost nothing to run-off — which is exactly why most water companies leave it off the restricted list.

It’s also the same reason our driplines are engineered from your real tap flow rate, cut to your exact beds and run by a tap computer — so every drop does its job with zero guesswork.

Start with the £25 Flow Kit How it works

Bans in your region

Each water company runs its own notice. Here are the highest-volume regions, with what their restrictions typically cover and whether drip irrigation stays available.

YorkshireYorkshire WaterRead the guide →London & the Thames ValleyThames WaterRead the guide →Kent, Sussex, Hampshire & the Isle of WightSouthern WaterRead the guide →

Questions gardeners ask about bans

The bigger picture

The ban-proof way to water is also the better way

The method that keeps your garden legal under a ban is the same one that keeps it thriving: water at the roots, automatically, with no waste. That’s the whole of what Bloomline does.

Make Me Drought Resistant