Hosepipe Ban 2026: Watering Your Garden with Drip Irrigation
What the Thames Water hosepipe ban means for your garden, and when a drip irrigation system can keep running.
A temporary hosepipe ban has been in force across the Thames Water supply area — including London — since 00:01 on 23 July 2026, and Thames Water has said it will stay in place until there has been significant and prolonged rainfall. Here is what it means for your garden, and how a properly specified drip irrigation system can keep your plants alive within the rules.
What the hosepipe ban covers
Under the Thames Water legal notice, a "hosepipe" includes anything used for the same purpose, whether or not a device such as a sprinkler, dripper hose or automatic irrigation system is attached. In other words, sprinklers and most automatic watering systems connected to the mains are covered by the ban.
The drip irrigation exception
The notice includes an exception for watering a garden or plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using an approved drip or trickle irrigation system that:
- is fitted with a pressure-reducing valve and a timer, that are not handheld;
- places water drip by drip directly onto or beneath the soil surface;
- causes no surface run-off and no dispersion of water through the air by a jet or mist.
A timer added to a hose or a sprinkler does not make it compliant. The system has to be a fixed drip or trickle system that meets every condition.
How we can help
- Check your existing system and tell you which zones are drip, which are sprinklers, and what would need to change
- Convert zones to drip irrigation for borders, hedges, trees and planters, with pressure-reducing valves and timers
- Install rainwater harvesting and advise on grey water recycling, so you can use water that does not come from the mains
- Prepare for next season: a system designed now will be ready for spring 2027, whatever the restrictions
Good to know
You can still water with a watering can or a bucket, and use stored rainwater. Rules can be varied or lifted, and other water companies publish their own notices: always check the current notice from your water supplier before relying on an exception. This page is general guidance, not legal advice.
Ask us to check your system — we will tell you what can keep running during the ban.