Hosepipe Ban Exemptions: Is Your Neighbour Really Allowed?
If you’re in a hosepipe ban area and spot your neighbour watering their garden or filling a paddling pool while you’re banned from doing the same, you might feel it’s unfair. But they could genuinely be exempt — and there are legitimate reasons why.
Water companies enforce hosepipe bans during periods of extreme weather or drought to protect water supplies. The restrictions are strict: you can’t use a hose to water gardens, wash cars, clean windows or patios, or fill swimming or paddling pools. A single unattended hosepipe can use up to 900 litres of water an hour, which explains why water companies take this seriously.
Currently, hosepipe bans are in place across large parts of England, including areas served by Anglian Water, South East Water, Cambridge Water and Affinity Water. Millions of households in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, Hampshire, London and surrounding counties are affected.
However, certain households are exempt. These include people on the Priority Services Register (PSR), those on the WaterSure tariff, and Blue Badge holders.
The PSR list includes elderly people, those with medical conditions, and households with young children who need extra water support. WaterSure is a payment assistance scheme for households on benefits that use significant water — either for medical reasons or because they have several school-age children. Blue Badge holders are exempt because mobility issues make manually filling buckets extremely difficult.
If your neighbour has young children, for example, they may legitimately qualify under one of these schemes. You can check your own eligibility by visiting your water company’s website and looking at their hosepipe ban FAQs.
If you’re caught using your hose, your water company will initially check whether you’re aware of the ban and whether you’re exempt. They’re not trying to “catch people out” — but repeated breaches can result in further action.
What to do: Check your water company’s website to see if you qualify for any exemptions. If you genuinely believe your neighbour shouldn’t be exempt, contact your water company directly with details. Otherwise, the ban is temporary and typically lifted once water levels recover.