Thames Water
23 July
The ban came into force across the entire Thames Water supply area and remains in place until it is officially lifted.
United Kingdom · summer 2026
A rainy country can still run short of water.
In London, the problem is timing: rain falls in a different season and place from demand, while the system has too little storage for peak use.
1992last major reservoir put into operation in England
75.3%storage in England's reservoirs, week ending 21 July
23mpeople under hosepipe bans on 29 July
Why the gap matters
How does a rainy country end up with a hosepipe ban?
In summer 2026, London came under a ban on using garden hoses, known in Britain as a hosepipe ban, even though Britain is associated with rain.
One reason is a lack of storage: England has too little capacity to hold wet-season water until summer demand rises.
In Romanian, "rezervor" is the general term for reservoir. For a body of water created by a dam, the more specific phrase is "lac de acumulare". This page uses "rezervor" for water-storage infrastructure as a whole.
The UK government says that no major reservoir has been put into operation in England since 1992. Carsington Water in Derbyshire opened that year. Local basins, pipelines and other kinds of infrastructure have continued to be built. The clearest planning, hosepipe-ban and water-deficit data concern England.
01 / now
London, now
In summer 2026, demand rose quickly and the system came under pressure. A hosepipe ban reduces demand before household taps are affected.
Reservoirs
75.3%
Reported storage in England in the week ending 21 July, 7.4 percentage points below the period average.
July
7%
That share of the month's average rainfall had been recorded across England in the government's 29 July statement. In southern England, it was 1%.
GOV.UK · 29 July
40%
At that point, seven companies had introduced hosepipe bans for about 23 million people, almost 40% of England's population.
By supplier
Where does the ban apply, and where doesn't it?
At the 15 August 2026 check, suppliers set the restrictions and they may cover a whole supply area or selected zones. The list below separates the nine distinct companies named in Water UK's current situation. There is no automatic national ban.
Active ban across the whole supply area
Active ban in selected areas
No ban announced in the cited list
Active ban · whole supply area
All customers in the named area
- Anglian Waterthe whole region
- Cambridge Waterthe whole region
- Essex & Suffolk Waterall household customers
- Thames Waterthe whole supply area
Active ban · selected areas
Only the named areas
- Affinity Watercentral region
- Southern WaterHampshire and the Isle of Wight
- South East WaterKent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire
- South West WaterDevon, Cornwall, parts of Dorset and Somerset
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh WaterCeredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire
No ban announced in the cited list
Areas not shown here
Suppliers and areas not shown above are not covered by these bans. This list is not a guarantee for your address. Check your local supplier before using a hose.
The colour shows the status and the text shows the area. The rest of the country does not automatically fall under the same ban.
Sources: GOV.UK, 29 July 2026 · Water UK, hosepipe-ban situation · Thames Water legal notice
02 / mechanism
It rains. The timing still matters.
Reliable supply depends on water that can be captured, treated and moved when people need it. A downpour after a dry summer cannot instantly restore an aquifer or reservoir. Rain in the north does not automatically enter London's pipes.
01RainMore water can reach soil and rivers.
02Soil and aquiferIt recharges slowly. It does not refill overnight.
03RiverRiver flow must be protected for nature as well as for the tap.
04StorageA reservoir keeps wet-season water for the warm period.
05TapDemand rises when grass and soil need water.
Winter
You fill the reserve before the difficult months.
In the wet season, surplus flow can be captured. There must be somewhere to put it and a way to move it. Otherwise, some of it continues to the sea.
The bars are indicative, not a statistical series. Real storage data is cited separately.
The simple rule
Reliable supply = place + time + storage + pipes
- 01Place mattersThe east and south are generally drier than the north and west. High demand is concentrated in the south-east.
- 02Time mattersWinters may become wetter, while summers become warmer and drier. Winter water has to be captured and held until August.
- 03Storage mattersA reservoir keeps wet-season water for the period when demand rises.
- 04The network mattersEven existing water needs treatment, energy, pumps, pipes and legal abstraction rights.
03 / infrastructure
Why does it take so long to build a reservoir?
A major reservoir needs land, dams, roads, pipes, environmental assessments, approvals and finance. More than ten years can pass from plan to construction.
1992
Carsington WaterThe last major reservoir put into operation in England, in the government's wording.
2018
The NIC warningThe National Infrastructure Commission called for a combination of storage, transfers and demand reduction.
2020
Regional planningEngland begins to connect company plans across regions, rather than planning company by company.
2025
Political accelerationThe government designates projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire as nationally significant.
2026
Construction has already startedHavant Thicket is under construction. Fens, South Lincs and the Oxfordshire project are still in planning stages.
Planning
Projects need approvals and assessments at several levels. The government intervened to speed up approval for those it considers nationally significant.
Land
A reservoir can flood land, move roads and affect farms and ecosystems. The local cost appears immediately, while the benefit is shared by millions of users.
Money and risk
Water companies are regulated. They must show that an expensive project is the best solution for customers, even if the need will become clear decades from now.
Alternatives
A serious plan compares reservoirs, transfers, recycling, desalination, leakage reduction and lower demand. That is why the decision takes time even when the pressure is real.
Official plans for the period between 2025 and 2050 include funding for 10 new reservoirs, one enlargement, transfers, desalination and mine-water treatment. See National Framework 2025.
04 / conflict
A village sees the cost. The system sees the reserve.
NIMBY is the English acronym for opposing a project when it is proposed in your own area. Local opposition can slow a project. The concrete question is who pays now and who benefits from more secure water twenty years from now.
Compare the two perspectives. Both can be true at the same time.
The local perspective
Why here?
For a community, the project means years of construction, traffic, a changed landscape, affected farmland and questions about safety, flooding and compensation.
- visible and immediate impact
- local costs, regional benefits
- trust in data and design
- the right to ask for alternatives
05 / the way out
The problem will not be solved by one project.
Reservoirs may be necessary in some regions. At the same time, the system has to reduce leakage from pipes, summer demand, pressure on rivers and the gap between north and south.
01
Reduce long-term demandMetering, more efficient buildings and lower use in homes and businesses.
02
Repair leakageOfwat estimates that about one fifth of water in the network is still lost through leakage.
03
Store winter waterNew reservoirs and enlargements can hold water for summer where capturing high flows protects rivers.
04
Move water. Reuse what can be reused.Regional transfers, recycling and desalination. Their energy and environmental costs must be explained honestly.
05
Protect river flowsA good water system protects ecological river flows alongside household water.
Sources: Environment Agency, National Framework 2025 · Ofwat, leakage.
The answer
Rain becomes available water when the system can store it.
A hosepipe ban shows the pressure at the surface. Insufficient storage is one of the underlying causes.
In London, scorched grass and summer restrictions make visible what planning has postponed: water has to be stored before it is needed. New projects will also have to be built, but negotiations over land, cost, the environment and decision-making are only starting.
Source note
What was checked
We separate official data from explanatory models and editorial interpretation. Hosepipe-ban rules can change quickly, so check the local supplier before treating the page as practical instruction.
- GOV.UK, "Drought declared in half of England", 29 July 2026Drought areas, 75.3% storage, 7 companies and about 23 million customers under hosepipe bans.
- Environment Agency, report for 17 to 23 July 2026River flows, storage and the difference from the period average.
- Water UK, Hosepipe bans FAQsThe list of suppliers and restriction areas, including Thames Water.
- Thames Water, hosepipe-ban noticeThe ban for the Thames Water area, in force from 23 July 2026.
- Defra, "Government steps in to build first major reservoirs in 30 years", 29 May 2025The 1992 claim and the list of proposed reservoirs through 2050.
- Environment Agency, National Framework 2025Pressures from climate, population, the environment, reserves and seasonal water distribution.
- Environment Agency, action for public water suppliesThe plan for reservoirs, transfers, desalination and demand reduction.
- Ofwat, leakageThe scale of network leakage and reduction targets.
Checked on 15 August 2026. The data concerns England mainly. UK suppliers and Wales appear only where the sources include them.