Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Hosepipe ban garden hose: check your water company

Updated: 22 October 2026

A hosepipe ban garden hose question is about your water company, not the brand on the jacket. A temporary use ban restricts listed uses for customers of the company that imposed it. An expanding hose and a non-expanding 15 m hose are both hosepipes for those uses. None of the eight listings in the [flexible garden hose 15 m comparison](/hub/garden-watering/flexible-garden-hose-15m) is exempt because it shrinks, and none is ban approved. Peter F. read section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, Ofwat, Water UK's questions, Thames Water's notice as updated on 12 October 2026, and South East Water's Sussex questions. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A hosepipe ban garden hose question is about your water company, not the brand on the jacket. A temporary use ban restricts listed uses for customers of the company that imposed it.

Our top picks

Yofidra Yofidra 50 ft / 15 m

Best overall

Yofidra Yofidra 50 ft / 15 m
8.3/10about £15.98
View offer
KOBAZ KOBAZ 15 m non-expanding

Alternative

KOBAZ KOBAZ 15 m non-expanding
6.8/10about £17.96
View offer
Flexi Hose Flexi Hose 50 ft, black/blue

Rank 3

Flexi Hose Flexi Hose 50 ft, black/blue
8.2/10about £19.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A hosepipe ban is local to your supplier
  2. 2.What the notices in 2026 actually restrict
  3. 3.The fine and the exemptions you must read yourself
  4. 4.Backflow still applies when the ban does not

A hosepipe ban is local to your supplier

Section 76 lets a water undertaker prohibit specified uses, including watering a garden with a hosepipe, for as long as its notice says. The prohibition is for the customers of that company. It is not a national switch, and it is not a property of one product. Water UK's questions describe several companies with different start dates in 2026. That list will date. A 15 m expanding hose is still a hosepipe. So is the KOBAZ non-expanding hose in the same comparison. Check the company on your bill, or that company's postcode tool. Thames Water's page matters if Thames supplies your tap. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own notices.

What the notices in 2026 actually restrict

Notices under this power commonly cover watering a garden, washing a private car, and cleaning a patio with a hosepipe. The exact list is the notice. Thames Water's page, updated on 12 October 2026, was still describing a ban as in force, and that page still allowed watering cans, buckets, and water butts. Those three are Thames's wording on that date. From 9 October 2026, South East Water's Sussex notice removed most exemptions and left health, safety, or welfare. A hose fed only from a water butt is not the same as a hose on the mains, on the Thames page that still allows butts. If you top the butt up from the outside tap, you are back on the mains. How to drain a hose you are allowed to use is on the how to use an expandable garden hose page.
Yofidra Yofidra 50 ft / 15 m

Testsieger

Yofidra Yofidra 50 ft / 15 m
8.3/10about £15.98
View offer

The fine and the exemptions you must read yourself

Using a hosepipe for a prohibited purpose is an offence under section 76. Ofwat states the fine as up to £1,000. That is the ceiling in Ofwat's explanation, not a hose fee on the bill and not a quote for every case. Exemptions change between companies and between months. This page cannot freeze a UK-wide exemption list. Open your supplier's questions, read who is exempt, and keep the date. A 15 m hose is not "too small to count". Buying a different model from the comparison does not reset the rules.

Backflow still applies when the ban does not

A ban and a backflow valve solve different problems. With no ban in force, the outside tap can still let used water back towards the supply if the hose end sits in a bucket, a pond, or a butt. WaterSafe's advice is to keep the end out of standing water. Water Regs UK describes a double check valve, fitted indoors, on ordinary hose-union taps for newer premises. The absence of a ban does not remove it. Cutting one into a concealed pipe is a plumber's job. None of the hoses in this set installs that valve. When a ban is lifted, length and thread are on the 15 m garden hose buying guide.

Common questions

Is there a hosepipe ban across the UK?
There is not one ban for every home. Section 76 lets each water undertaker prohibit specified hosepipe uses for its own customers. Water UK's 2026 questions described several companies with different start dates, and that picture will keep moving. Check the supplier on your bill, including in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A Thames customer and a neighbour on another supply can be under different rules on the same day.
Does a temporary use ban apply to an expandable hose?
Yes, when the banned use is what you are doing with it. An expandable 15 m hose is a hosepipe for section 76. A bag, a 10-pattern gun, or a flexible title does not take it outside the notice. The same is true of a non-expanding 15 m hose. No listing in this comparison is ban approved, and the product type does not create an exemption.
Can you use a watering can?
You can where your notice says so. Thames Water's page, updated on 12 October 2026, still allowed watering cans, buckets, and water butts while a hosepipe ban was described as in force. South East Water's Sussex notice, from 9 October 2026, removed most exemptions and left health, safety, or welfare. Use the can if your current notice allows it. Do not copy Thames's allowance onto another company's customers.
Can you wash the car with this 15 m hose?
Not while your supplier's notice prohibits washing a private vehicle with a hosepipe. A 15 m length or an expanding jacket does not change that use. Some notices allow a bucket. Thames's page allowed buckets on 12 October 2026. If your notice has withdrawn that concession, the bucket is off the list too. Read the vehicle line before you connect the hose.
What is the fine?
Section 76 makes the prohibited use an offence, with a penalty up to level 3 on the standard scale. Ofwat describes that fine as up to £1,000. The figure is a legal maximum in that explanation, not a fixed charge on your water bill and not a quote for every case. Keeping the hose in the cupboard until you have read the notice avoids the question in practice.
Who should you check, Thames Water or your postcode?
Check the company that supplies your tap. Use Thames Water's notice if the bill or the postcode check says Thames. Use another company's notice if it does not. Water UK shows that several bans can run at once. It is not a substitute for the page your supplier updated this week. A national headline is how people water a garden on the wrong side of a boundary.

Related pages

Best 15 m expandable garden hose

Flexible garden hose 15m

15m garden hose buying guide: length and UK fittings

How to use an expandable garden hose, then drain it

Expandable hose vs normal hosepipe: stay or shrink

Sources

Public UK sources for hosepipe bans, backflow, tap threads, hose care and expandable hoses on pressure washers. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 21 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. Water Regs UK — hose union taps (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. WaterSafe — hosepipe backflow (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Thames Water — temporary hosepipe ban (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Ofwat — hosepipe bans (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Hozelock — 3/4 and 1/2 outdoor tap connector (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. BBC Gardeners' World — garden hoses (retrieved 21.10.2026)