Affinity Water Central Region - Temporary Hosepipe Ban

Statutory Notice

S.76B Water Industry Act 1991

Temporary ban on water use within the Central region of Affinity Water Limited supply area

Affinity Water Limited gives notice that pursuant to section 76 and sections 76A–C of the Water Industry Act 1991, within the regions specified in Annex 1 below, the following uses of water supplied by Affinity Water Limited are prohibited:

(a) watering a garden using a hosepipe;
(b) cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a hosepipe;
(c) watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe;
(d) cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe;
(e) filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool;
(f) drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use;
(g) filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe;
(h) filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain;
(i) cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises using a hosepipe;
(j) cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe;
(k) cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe.

These prohibitions apply to those in receipt of a supply of water from Affinity Water Limited, including those who are served by other retailers or NAVs.

Exceptions to these prohibited uses are set out in Annex 2 below.

Representations concerning any of these prohibitions may be made in writing by Thursday the 16th July 2026 to: TUBrepresentations@affinitywater.co.uk. If, as a result of such representations, Affinity Water Limited decides to vary any terms of the prohibition, a further notice will be published. Subject to this, the prohibitions will have effect from the date set out in this notice and will remain in force until a further notice is published by Affinity Water Limited.

These restrictions will be enforced from 00:01 a.m. BST on Friday the 17th of July 2026.

Annex 1: Regions subject to temporary usage ban

The temporary use ban applies to all customers in our Central region, covering Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey and parts of London. The postcodes that are subject to the temporary use ban have been listed below.

CB9, CB10, CB11, CB21, CM1, CM3, CM4, CM5, CM6, CM7, CM14, CM15, CM16, CM17, CM18, CM19, CM20, CM21, CM22, CM23, CM24, CM77, RM4, IG7, IG10, EN9, EN10, EN11

AL1, AL2, AL3, AL4, AL5, AL6, AL7, AL8, AL9, AL10, SG1, SG2, SG3, SG4, SG5, SG6, SG7, SG8, SG9, SG10, SG11, SG12, SG13, SG14, SG16, SG18, HP1, HP2, HP3, HP4, HP5, HP6, HP7, HP8, HP9, HP10, HP14, HP15, HP16, HP23, HP27, LU1, LU2, LU3, LU4, LU5, LU6, LU7, WD3, WD4, WD5, WD6, WD7, WD17, WD18, WD19, WD23, WD24, WD25

NW2, NW3, NW4, NW7, NW9, NW10, NW11, N2, N3, N6, N10, N11, N12, N14, N20, EN2, EN4, EN5, EN6, EN7, HA8

GU1, GU2, GU3, GU4, GU5, GU15, GU16, GU18, GU19, GU20, GU21, GU22, GU23, GU24, GU25, KT8, KT10, KT11, KT12, KT13, KT14, KT15, KT16, KT24, RG12, RG42, RG45, SL4, SL5, TW4, TW5, TW6, TW13, TW14, TW15, TW16, TW61, TW17, TW18, TW19, TW20

HA0, HA1, HA2, HA3, HA4, HA5, HA6, HA7, HA9, SL0, SL2, SL3, SL9, UB1, UB2, UB3, UB4, UB5, UB6, UB7, UB8, UB9, UB10, UB11, W7, W13

Annex 2: Exceptions to the prohibited uses

The following uses are exempted from the prohibited uses. Those who meet the requirements below may continue to use water without having to make representations to Affinity Water Limited to receive permission, however Affinity Water Limited reserves the right to question a person's use of an exemption if reports of hosepipe usage are received or evidence of a hosepipe being used is detected. All Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register (PSR) customers are automatically exempt from the 11 activities listed.

Any person who contravenes a prohibition is guilty of an offence and may be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1000.

(a) Watering a garden using a hosepipe

Does not include using a hosepipe to water a garden for health or safety reasons.

A "garden" includes:

• a) a park;
• b) gardens open to the public;
• c) a lawn;
• d) a grass verge;
• e) an area of grass used for sport or recreation;
• f) an allotment garden;
• g) any area of an allotment used for non-commercial purposes;
• h) any other green space.

"A garden" does not include the following:

• a) agricultural land;
• b) other land used in the course of a business for the purposes of growing, for sale or commercial use, any crops, fruit, vegetables or other plants;
• c) land used for the purposes of a National Plant Collection;
• d) a temporary garden or flower display;
• e) plants (including plant organs, seeds, crops and trees) which are in an outdoor pot or in the ground, under cover.

"Allotment gardens" are defined in section 22(1) of the Allotments Act 1922.

"Agricultural land" is as defined in section 109(1) of the Agriculture Act 1947.

"National Plant Collection" means a plant collection which is part of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens' National Plant Collection scheme.

"Outdoor pot" means a pot or other container that is outdoors or under cover.

"Under cover" means in a greenhouse or outbuilding or under a permanent canopy.

"Temporary garden or flower display" means those at a show or exhibition; and on public display for a period not exceeding 7 days.

"Grow" includes to cultivate or propagate.

Messages

Customers may water their gardens:

• By hand, using a bucket or watering can.
• With greywater through a hosepipe.
• Using rainwater from a water butt by hand or through a hosepipe.

Storage tanks – water drawn from the mains supply into tanks (other than hand-held receptacles) for subsequent use for watering private gardens, lawns and landscaped areas via a hosepipe is not permitted.

Methods for recycling water or finding water from alternative sources should be encouraged for those concerned about the financial implications of not being able to use mains water.

Sports Pitches – watering areas of grass used for sport or recreation using a hosepipe are covered under this activity.

This includes all sports pitches or similar such as cricket and football pitches, bowling greens, horseracing tracks and golf courses.

It applies to both publicly and privately owned facilities; both can be large users of water but some may have private water supplies for watering sports pitches.

Watering for health or safety reasons is exempt from the legislation.

Sports pitches can still be watered using other sources of water and innovative recycling methods can be encouraged.

Statutory exceptions & concessions

a) removing or minimising any risk to human or animal health or safety; and

b) preventing or controlling the spread of causative agents of disease.

(Note that in the case of sports pitches where a health and safety exception applies, this is only in relation to the active strip/playing area, not the entire sports ground.)

Non-statutory exceptions

• Blue Badge holders on the grounds of disability.
• A hosepipe may be used by customers on the company's Priority Services Register who are physically unable or who cannot make adjustments (due to health reasons) to use a watering can/bucket safely.
• A drip or trickle irrigation system can be used if:
  (i) fitted with a pressure reducing valve (PRV) and timer;
  (ii) not handheld;
  (iii) place water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface without any surface runoff or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist.

• A hosepipe can be used to water turf at domestic premises where this cannot be reasonably done by watering can, where the turf was laid before the onset of TUBs, and for a period of four weeks which start from the date when the turf was laid, not the start of the TUB.
• A hosepipe can be used to water standard trees, whips, saplings and hedging planted within a three-year window of the imposition of the TUB (i.e. within the last three years of the start of the TUB), where this cannot be hand-watered or watered with non-potable water.
• A hosepipe can be used to water standard trees in urban settings (such as streets) planted in the last three years that cannot reasonably be hand watered or watered with non-potable water. ("A standard tree" is a tree with a single stem with clear trunk (no side branches) for at least 1.8 m above the ground.)

(b) Cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a hosepipe

A "private motor-vehicle" means:

• a mechanically propelled vehicle designed, constructed or adapted for use on roads; or
• a trailer designed, constructed or adapted for attachment to a vehicle falling under (a).

Messages

Customers can still wash their cars (including lights and windows) by hand using water from a bucket.

Customers can use commercial carwashes, for example at garages.

Customers can wash their cars with a hosepipe connected to a rainwater or greywater source (e.g. bathwater diverted to a receptacle for subsequent use).

Storage tanks – water drawn from the mains supply into tanks (other than hand-held receptacles) for subsequent use for vehicle washing via a hosepipe is not permitted.

Restrictions apply to water drawn from the mains supply after the statutory notice has been given. So, water drawn into a container prior to that date may be used for washing cars, regardless of whether that use involves a hosepipe.

Statutory exceptions & concessions

The definition does not include:
i) a public service vehicle, as defined in section 1 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981(c);
ii) a goods vehicle, as defined in section 192 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

This includes:

• Public bus
• Any vehicles covered by an organisation's "Goods Vehicle Operator's Licence"
• Military vehicles
• Snow ploughs and gritters
• Emergency service vehicles (including those used by gas, electricity, water and telephone companies)
• Hearses and accompanying funeral cars
• Recovery vehicles (only if they're used exclusively for that purpose)
• Tractors and agricultural vehicles
• Catering vehicles
• Mobile shops
• Mobile medical screening vehicles
• Any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight or (where there is no plated weight) an unladen weight of more than 1,525kg to transport goods for hire or reward or in connection with a trade or business.

Interpretation: Note that taxis and minicabs are not considered to be public service vehicles and so are subject to bans.

Non-statutory exceptions

• Blue Badge holders on the grounds of disability.
• Use of a hosepipe in the course of a business to clean private motor vehicles where this is done as a service to customers, where this cannot reasonably be done using a bucket.
• A hosepipe may be used by customers on the company's Priority Services Register who are physically unable or who cannot make adjustments (due to health reasons) to use a watering can/bucket safely.

(c) Watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe

The definition applies only to the watering of plants which are in an outdoor pot or in the ground, under cover.

"Plants" includes plant organs, seeds, crops and trees.

"Grow" includes cultivate or propagate.

Messages

Customers may water their gardens:

• By hand, using a bucket or watering can.
• With greywater through a hosepipe.
• Using rainwater from a water butt by hand or through a hosepipe.

Storage tanks – water drawn from the mains supply into tanks (other than hand-held receptacles) for subsequent use for watering private gardens, lawns and landscaped areas via a hosepipe is not permitted.

Methods for recycling water or finding water from alternative sources should be encouraged for those concerned about the financial implications of not being able to use mains water.

Statutory exceptions & concessions

It does not include watering plants:

• i) grown or kept for sale or commercial use; or
• ii) that are part of a National Plant Collection or temporary garden or flower display.

"Domestic or other non-commercial premises" means:

• a) any land, building or other structure used or enjoyed in connection with the use of any of the following which is used principally as a dwelling:
  i) a building or part of a building;
  ii) a caravan;
  iii) a boat; or

• b) any land or premises which is not used principally for the purposes of a business.

Non-statutory exceptions

• Blue Badge holders on the grounds of disability.
• A drip or trickle irrigation system can be used if:
  (i) fitted with a pressure reducing valve (PRV) and timer;
  (ii) not handheld;
  (iii) places water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface without any surface runoff or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist.

• A hosepipe may be used by customers on the company's Priority Services Register and are physically unable or who cannot make adjustments (due to health reasons) to use a watering can/bucket safely.
• A hosepipe can be used to water food crops at domestic premises or private allotments, where this cannot be reasonably done by watering can.
• A hosepipe can be used to water turf at domestic premises where this cannot be reasonably done by watering can, where the turf was laid before the onset of TUBs, and for a period of four weeks which start from the date when the turf was laid, not the start of the TUB.
• A hosepipe can be used to water standard trees, whips, saplings and hedging planted within a three-year window of the imposition of the TUB (i.e. within the last three years of the start of the TUB), where this cannot be hand-watered or watered with non-potable water. This covers trees planted by a council and/or charitable/voluntary organisation and covers larger-scale tree planting not individual trees. This also includes young trees planted as part of the 25 Year Environment Plan / Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 and young trees that are planted under a subsidy scheme.
• A hosepipe can be used to water standard trees in urban settings (such as streets) planted in the last three years that cannot reasonably be hand watered or watered with non-potable water. ("A standard tree" is a tree with a single stem with clear trunk (no side branches) for at least 1.8m above the ground.)

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