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Water butt hosepipe ban: what you can still use

Updated: 22 October 2026

A water butt hosepipe ban question in England and Wales is about whose water is in the tank. Rain already in the butt is not water the company supplied. A hose from the outside tap, including a hose you use to fill that butt, is the supply the ban is written for. This page follows the Water Industry Act 1991, the temporary-use rules, and FAQs from Thames Water and South East Water. It does not pick a tank. The [100 litre water butt comparison](/hub/garden-watering/100-litre-water-butt) is the product grid. On 19 October 2026 there was no single national ban to report. Links to amazon.co.uk may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

A water butt hosepipe ban question in England and Wales is about whose water is in the tank. Rain already in the butt is not water the company supplied.

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On this page
  1. 1.What a temporary use ban covers
  2. 2.What you can do with water already in the butt
  3. 3.What you must not do
  4. 4.Scotland, Northern Ireland, and a ban that is not on

What a temporary use ban covers

Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 lets a water company in England and Wales ban specified uses of the water it supplies. Watering a garden with a hosepipe is one use the section names. The offence sits at level 3 on the standard scale. Ofwat's note, and the Sentencing Act 2020 for offences on or after 1 October 1992, put that maximum at £1,000. That is a maximum, not a fixed ticket. The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 tightens the word hosepipe. Using a hosepipe includes drawing the company's water from a container through a hose. A butt you have topped up from the mains is still the company's water if you then run a hose out of it. A temporary use ban restricts hosepipes. Watering with a can filled from the mains is not the same prohibited act. The ban is local and dated.

What you can do with water already in the butt

If the water in the butt is rain from the roof, company FAQs treat it as a non-mains source. Thames Water's hosepipe FAQ says rainwater from a water butt may still be used with a hose. South East Water's Sussex FAQ, in force from 9 October 2026, says water butts are allowed and tells you not to fill the butt from a mains hosepipe. Those are two companies' words, not a sentence inside section 76. Match them to the notice that names your company. The hose has to start on the rain store, not on the outside tap. A 100 litre butt does not change the legal test. It changes how long the stored rain lasts. The Environment Agency's guide says rainwater is not for drinking unless treated to a potable standard. The lid and the downpipe belong on the how to install a water butt page.
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What you must not do

Do not fill the butt from a mains hosepipe while a temporary use ban applies to you. The 2010 Order is the legal reason: drawing the undertaker's water through a hose, including from a container you have just filled, is using a hosepipe. Do not treat greywater and rainwater as the same liquid in the tank. Washing-up water poured into a rain butt is a mix these sources say not to store. Do not drink the water, cook with it, or wash food with it because the lawn is restricted. The public figure is a maximum of £1,000 for the level 3 offence in England and Wales. Thames and South East explain a butt in their FAQs.

Scotland, Northern Ireland, and a ban that is not on

Section 76 is England and Wales. Scottish Water and Northern Ireland Water publish their own restrictions. Do not lift an English notice or the £1,000 maximum onto Edinburgh or Belfast. If that is who bills you, use their notice. You should not plumb a permanent mains top-up into a rain system with a hose in the lid. That connection needs an air gap under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, whether or not a drought restriction exists. Whether the box contains a stand is the buying guide. Which listing to open first is the best 100 litre water butt page. Rain you caught last week is the water the company FAQs mean. The outside tap is not.

Common questions

Can I water plants from a water butt during a hosepipe ban?
Yes, if the water is rain already in the butt and your company's notice matches the FAQs quoted here. Thames Water and South East Water both allow water-butt water under their restrictions. The ban is on specified uses of the company's supply in England and Wales. Confirm the notice names your supply and your dates.
Can I run a hose from the butt?
Those two FAQs say a hose from the butt is allowed, because it is not drawing mains water. The 2010 Order still counts a hose that draws the company's water out of a container. The hose has to start at the butt, and the butt has to contain rain, not a top-up from the outside tap. If your own FAQ is stricter, follow that one.
Can I fill the butt from the outside tap during a ban?
No. South East Water's Sussex FAQ says not to fill the butt from a mains hosepipe. The 2010 Order still calls that a hosepipe, even if the water pauses in a tank. A watering can filled from the mains is the method Ofwat distinguishes from a hosepipe. It is slow. That is the restriction working.
Does the ban apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Section 76 is marked England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own undertakers. An English notice does not travel with you. Check Scottish Water or Northern Ireland Water if that is who bills you. This page does not quote a Scottish fine.
What is the fine?
Ofwat describes a fine of up to £1,000. That matches level 3, which the Sentencing Act 2020 sets at £1,000 for offences on or after 1 October 1992. It is a maximum for the England and Wales offence, not an automatic charge, and not a figure to reuse in Scotland.

Related pages

Slimline or collapsible water butt

100 litre water butt

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100 litre water butt: what to check before you buy

How to install a UK water butt on a plastic downpipe

Sources

Public UK sources used for hosepipe bans, child safety, non-potable rainwater and garden practice. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 19 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Ofwat — hosepipe bans (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Thames Water — hosepipe ban FAQs (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. RoSPA — garden safety (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. BS EN 16941-1:2024 scope (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Environment Agency / Waterwise rainwater guide (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. RHS — collecting and storing water (retrieved 19.10.2026)