Hosepipe ban and the hose reel
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have a cart, or you are about to buy one, and the lawn is brown. A hosepipe ban on a hose reel is the same restriction as a ban on a hose in a heap. If your water company has a temporary use ban, the cart is storage until that notice allows hosepipe watering, or until a named exemption on that notice applies to you. The reel is not a new class of device. The [hose reel cart with hose comparison](/hub/garden-watering/hose-reel-cart-with-hose) is for when a ban is not in force. Peter F. used the company notices current for early October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a cart, or you are about to buy one, and the lawn is brown. A hosepipe ban on a hose reel is the same restriction as a ban on a hose in a heap.
You have a cart, or you are about to buy one, and the lawn is brown. A hosepipe ban on a hose reel is the same restriction as a ban on a hose in a heap. If your water company has a temporary use ban, the cart is storage until that notice allows hosepipe watering, or until a named exemption on that notice applies to you. The reel is not a new class of device. The hose reel cart with hose comparison is for when a ban is not in force. Peter F. used the company notices current for early October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Hose supplied | Fittings | Rewind | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Hozelock Hozelock open cart with 50 m hose | 50 m | Connector set | Manual crank | 9.0 | about £71.39 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Wurzberge Wurzberge 30 m cart with leader | 30 m + 2 m leader | Spray gun | Manual | 6.6 | about £53.09 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Dekton Dekton cart with 20 m hose | 20 m | Nozzle kit | Manual wind-up | 2.0 | about £32.95 | View offer |
On this page
What the ban covers
A temporary use ban is made under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. The company can prohibit specified uses, including watering a garden with a hosepipe. Ofwat describes the practical effect: hosepipe watering, washing a car with a hosepipe, and paddling pools stop, and a watering can or a bucket is the alternative they point to. Ofwat states a fine of up to £1,000. That is a maximum, not a fixed bill.
The cart does not opt you out. It stores a hosepipe. A self-closing gun, a crank and a 50 m drum change the handling. They do not change the supply. Owning the reel does not create an exemption. When a ban is not in force, the pick inside the set is the best hose reel cart with hose page.
Filling a can from the hose
The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 counts two related acts. Drawing water through a hosepipe from a container is still a hosepipe use. Filling a container with a hosepipe and then using that water for a banned purpose counts as well. Filling a can from the reel, then tipping it on the border, is not a way round a ban on watering the garden by hosepipe.
Ofwat's alternative is a can or bucket filled without the banned hosepipe use. A nozzle with a cleaning setting is still a hosepipe. The Dekton title mentions outdoor cleaning. That line is irrelevant while a ban is in force. When in doubt, disconnect the cart. How to use a hose reel cart shows how to drain it.
Check the company, not a national exemption
GOV.UK's drought summary for 2 to 8 October 2026 listed bans at Affinity Water (Central and East), Anglian Water except Hartlepool, Bristol Water, Cambridge Water, Essex and Suffolk Water, Southern Water in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, South East Water, South West Water except Bournemouth, Thames Water and Wessex Water. That week will date. Check the company on your bill on the day you mean to water.
Exemptions are not national. Essex and Suffolk Water lists local exemptions, including Blue Badge holders, for a ban it dated from 3 August 2026. Those are that company's categories, not a UK rule. South East Water tightened exemptions on 9 October 2026. If your exemption is real, it is written on your company's notice. Affinity's Central and East areas are not every Affinity customer. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not on this English list.
The tap and the frost
In England and Wales the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 govern fittings. Anglian Water and WaterSafe describe a double check valve on the outside tap, inside the building rather than on a frozen wall. The hose cart does not include that valve. If you cannot see it, or the supply joint weeps, stop and call a plumber. WaterSafe cites BS EN 806-5 for replacing check valves about every ten years. A new reel does not renew the valve. Length, if no ban applies, is the buying guide.
Water UK's advice is to turn the hose off, disconnect it, use a self-closing gun, and never submerge the end. A hose left in a bucket can draw dirty water back if the pressure drops. Do not drink from the hose. WaterSafe says disconnect, drain and store hoses before frost, and isolate the outside tap if you can. A frost-resistant bullet does not mean the cart can sit outside full of water.
Common questions
Can I water the garden with a hose cart during a ban?
Not if your company has a temporary use ban on garden watering with a hosepipe, unless that company's notice names an exemption that fits you. The cart is a hosepipe on wheels. Ofwat points to a watering can or a bucket, and states a fine of up to £1,000. The GOV.UK list for 2 to 8 October 2026 is only a snapshot, so check your postcode on the day.
Can I fill a watering can from the hose and then water?
No, not as a way round the ban. The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 counts filling a container with a hosepipe and then using that water. It also counts drawing water through a hosepipe from a container. Fill the can without a hose if your notice allows cans, or use rain already in a butt. Do not top the butt up from the reel and call it rain.
Is rainwater in a butt allowed?
Rain already in a butt is the route Thames Water's page describes, for that company, alongside a watering can. A butt you refill from the cart is different, because the Order covers filling a container by hosepipe and then using the water. One supplier's FAQ is not a national permission. Read the notice on your own bill.
Are Blue Badge holders exempt everywhere?
No. Essex and Suffolk Water includes Blue Badge holders among that company's exemptions, for a ban it dated from 3 August 2026. That is one notice. South East Water tightened its own exemptions on 9 October 2026. If your badge is not listed by the company that bills you, do not water with the hose.
Which companies had bans in early October 2026?
GOV.UK's summary for 2 to 8 October 2026 named Affinity (Central and East), Anglian except Hartlepool, Bristol, Cambridge, Essex and Suffolk, Southern in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, South East, South West except Bournemouth, Thames and Wessex. Hartlepool and Bournemouth were the stated exceptions inside two of those brands. Scotland and Northern Ireland were not on that list. Confirm your postcode before you rely on it.
Does the cart include a double check valve?
No. Anglian Water and WaterSafe describe the valve on the outside tap, inside the building. The cart is a reel and a hose. If you cannot see that protection, or the joint weeps, call a plumber. WaterSafe cites BS EN 806-5 for changing check valves about every ten years. Drain and store the cart before frost whether or not a ban is in force.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts captured for these five listings on 19 October 2026. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.
- Ofwat, hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- WaterSafe, double-check your outside tap (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- WaterSafe, time for gardeners (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Water UK, water in the home (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Hozelock, assembled hose cart (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Hozelock, assembled 60 m hose cart 2435 FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)