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Hosepipe ban and a water butt

Updated: 23 October 2026

A temporary use ban has landed on your water company, the mains hosepipe is supposed to stay coiled, and the butt you filled in April is the water you still have. The question is whether a hosepipe ban and a water butt can live together, and whether a pump changes the answer. It does not. The company pages below, read in October 2026, allow stored rain for the customers they name, and they still restrict a mains hosepipe used to fill the butt. Our [rain barrel pump comparison](/hub/garden-watering/rain-barrel-pump) is about which pump to buy after that rule is clear. This is not a product ranking. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A temporary use ban has landed on your water company, the mains hosepipe is supposed to stay coiled, and the butt you filled in April is the water you still have.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena 4000/1 rain barrel pump

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Gardena Gardena 4000/1 rain barrel pump
9.4/10about £79.99
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Seesii Seesii C1331 stick pump

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Seesii Seesii C1331 stick pump
9.0/10about £85.99
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Gardena Gardena 2000/2 18V solo

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8.2/10about £82.95
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On this page
  1. 1.A ban is your water company, not the whole UK
  2. 2.What those pages still allow from a butt
  3. 3.What you must not do with the mains
  4. 4.What this page will not clear

A ban is your water company, not the whole UK

A hosepipe ban, in the Ofwat explainer, is a temporary use ban under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. The fine Ofwat notes is up to £1,000. That frame is for the companies Ofwat oversees. It is not a UK-wide order. Your bill says which company you have. Thames Water, South East Water and South West Water can differ in the same week. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own suppliers. If that is you, the English pages below are not your text. Ofwat's baseline, when a mains hosepipe is restricted, is that a watering can is still allowed. A pump on mains water does not invent an exemption. If your company's page is silent on stored rain, ask them.

What those pages still allow from a butt

Thames Water's page, updated 12 October 2026, still allowed stored rainwater from a water butt. The allowance is water already in the butt, not any hose in a Thames area. South East Water's Sussex FAQ, from 9 October 2026, says a hose from a water butt is not restricted. That is Sussex wording, not the Kent page. South West Water's exceptions page says the ban does not apply when the water is not from the mains. A pump on that stored rain follows the same allowance. The motor does not turn a permitted hose into a banned one, and it does not fill a gap the company has not written. A line true on 12 October 2026 can change. The how to install a water butt pump page is the fitting sequence once your company still allows that hose.
Gardena Gardena 4000/1 rain barrel pump

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Gardena Gardena 4000/1 rain barrel pump
9.4/10about £79.99
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What you must not do with the mains

On the South East Water Sussex FAQ, filling the butt from a mains hosepipe is restricted. Thames Water's stored-rain line does not authorise a top-up from the outside tap either. You use what you stored. Passing mains water through the tank does not make it stored rain. Rainwater is not drinking water, and it must not be connected into mains pipework. That fittings rule stays in force when no ban exists. Leave a physical air gap between the mains outlet and the water in the butt. If the pump would share a pipe with a tap, stop and speak to the water company.

What this page will not clear

Severn Trent, Anglian, Yorkshire, Welsh Water, Scottish Water or NI Water need that supplier's own page on the day you water. October 2026 is the date on the Thames and South East sources above. This page will not choose your pump. Shape, plug and pressure are on the water butt pump buying guide once your company still allows a hose from stored rain. The rule does not depend on which listing you buy.

Common questions

Is a sprinkler or a pump banned if I am not holding a hosepipe?
The ban follows the water, not whether your hand is on the hose. A pump or a sprinkler fed from the mains is still mains water. Stored rain is the allowance Thames Water and South East Water's Sussex FAQ were still writing down in October 2026. A pump on that stored rain does not create an extra exemption.
Is the hosepipe ban the whole of the UK?
No single switch covers the UK. Ofwat's explainer, under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, is the frame for the companies it regulates, with a fine of up to £1,000 noted on that page. Thames Water, South East Water and South West Water publish their own pages. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own suppliers. Use the company named on your bill.
Can I water with a can during a hosepipe ban?
Ofwat's explainer still allows a watering can when a mains hosepipe is restricted. A can filled indoors is a different act from a hosepipe left filling a butt, which South East Water's Sussex FAQ treats as restricted. If your company page says something tighter, follow that page.
Can I run a hose from the water butt?
Thames Water's page, updated 12 October 2026, still allowed stored rainwater from a water butt. South East Water's Sussex FAQ, from 9 October 2026, says a hose from a water butt is not restricted. South West Water's exceptions page says the ban does not apply when the water is not from the mains. Those sentences are company-specific and date-specific.
Can I fill the butt with the mains hose during a ban?
South East Water's Sussex FAQ says a mains hosepipe must not fill the butt. The stored-rain allowance on the Thames Water page is about water already collected, not a top-up from the supply during the ban. Fill before a ban, or fill from the roof while the downpipe still runs into the butt. A pump does not change that.
What is the fine Ofwat mentions?
Ofwat's explainer notes a fine of up to £1,000 for breaching a temporary use ban under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. That figure is the maximum Ofwat points to, not a quote for a particular garden. Your company decides whether a ban is in force and how it describes the exceptions. In Scotland or Northern Ireland, use your own supplier's wording.

Related pages

Mains or battery water butt pump

Rain barrel pump

Best water butt pump: who it suits, who should skip

Water butt pump buying guide: swan neck, stick, solo

How to install a water butt pump without a dry run

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts in the display file for these eight listings. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Gardena UK, rain water tank pump 4000/1 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Gardena 2000/2 manual (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Water Regs UK, alternative water systems (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Ofwat, hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Thames Water, temporary hosepipe ban (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. South East Water, Sussex hosepipe restrictions FAQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Electrical Safety First, garden electrics (retrieved 22 October 2026)