Yorkshire
Yorkshire Water hosepipe ban: what you can and can't do
Yorkshire and the Humber, from the Pennines and Dales down to Hull and South Yorkshire. One of the most ban-prone regions in the country, with restrictions imposed in several recent summers.
What Yorkshire Water’s bans usually cover
Yorkshire has historically been quick to impose temporary use bans during dry spells, often targeting hoses, sprinklers and pressure washers while leaving hand-held watering and low-volume root watering unrestricted.
Is drip irrigation allowed during a Yorkshire Water ban?
Low-volume drip irrigation that delivers water directly to plant roots is typically permitted during Yorkshire Water restrictions, because it uses a fraction of the water of a hose and loses almost nothing to evaporation or run-off. Always confirm against the live notice — wording varies by year.
The low-water way to water anyway
However the notice is worded this year, the pattern is the same: restricted tools are the wasteful ones. A dripline that sits at the roots keeps beds healthy on a fraction of the water — which is why it is treated differently from a sprinkler.
- Feed roots, not the air — almost nothing evaporates
- Exempt in most UK notices, where hoses are banned
- Pipe pre-cut to length — no cutting, no tools
- Runs on a tap computer, hands-free all summer
How to find out the current status
Check the current position on Yorkshire Water's own restrictions page before the season starts, and keep an eye on local news for ban announcements.
This page explains the general rules and is not an official restrictions notice. Always confirm against Yorkshire Water’s live notice before watering.
See how every UK region handles bans on our full hosepipe ban guide.