General questions
A Temporary Use Ban (TUB), also known as a hosepipe ban, is a restriction on using a hosepipe for household (domestic) customers, primarily.
A Non Essential Use Ban (NEUB) is a restriction on mains water use we can apply for under a Drought Order and implement when there is a threat of serious water shortages. It targets commercial and non-household water use and requires approval by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
This is an action included in our Water Resources Management Plan(opens in a new tab) and Drought Plan(opens in a new tab), but we do not take it lightly. We only apply and implement it under exceptional circumstances.
This is one of the last resorts to ensure we can continue to provide essential water for everyone.
On 2 October 2026, we applied for a Non Essential Use Ban under a Drought Order, affecting businesses and commercial premises in Sussex. This is only an application, and there are no guarantees it will be granted or needed. If granted, we would only implement it if the drought situation in Sussex becomes more severe. Although we’ve seen some rainfall, it hasn’t been enough to reverse current conditions, and we need to prepare should rainfall be lower than average for the rest of autumn and winter.
The NEUB, if granted and implemented, would affect non-household and business customers in Sussex or a part of Sussex where we are the wholesale supplier for water. This includes businesses, commercial premises, public sector organisations, and all other non-domestic users.
Anyone may inspect the proposals free of charge during normal working hours (9am to 4pm) until 9 October 2026 at:
- Barcombe Village Hall, Barcombe Mills Rd, Lewes BN8 5BH
- South East Water, Rocfort Road, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5AH
- Online at www.southeastwater.co.uk(opens in a new tab)
Objections may be made in writing to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by email to water.resources@defra.gov.uk(opens in a new tab) or by post to:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Water Resources Policy
Seacole Ground Floor
2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF
Objections must be submitted by 9 October 2026.
We will:
- Publish a notice in the local newspapers
- Post a message on our social media channels – Facebook and LinkedIn
- Write to local business groups and individual businesses who we hold a relationship with, including the Sussex Chamber of Commerce and local BIDs
- Write to water retailers and NAVs
- Write to the MP’s and councillors representing the communities we serve
- Brief our staff about the ban
- Update the dedicated webpage hosting useful information for businesses and other water users.
Businesses that are likely to be most affected by a non-essential use ban are those that rely heavily on large amounts of water for their day-to-day operations, particularly for cleaning and aesthetic purposes.
These include:
- Vehicle washing services: Car washes, valeting services, and companies that clean fleets of commercial vehicles, boats, aircraft, and trains.
- Cleaning and maintenance services: Businesses that specialise in cleaning the exterior of non-domestic premises, such as window cleaners, pressure washing services for patios and paths, and those who clean industrial plants.
- Landscaping and horticultural businesses: Companies that maintain public or commercial green spaces, golf courses, and sports fields. (Note: watering plants grown for commercial sale or part of a National Plant Collection is legally exempt).
- Leisure and hospitality: Holiday parks and other leisure facilities with features like non-domestic swimming pools, hot tubs, ornamental fountains, or communal areas requiring regular cleaning.
- Construction and industrial sectors: Activities such as dust suppression on building sites using mains water. (Note: dust suppression for health and safety reasons is legally exempt).
The combination of factors we have experienced this year has been extraordinary. Following the warmest summer on record(opens in a new tab) according to the Met Office driest summer on record since 1884 (according to the Met Office) alongside prolonged periods of dry weather, water resources across our region have been under severe strain. It was also the driest summer on record since 1884 in the Ouse catchment, where Ardingly Reservoir is located.
Although recent rain has provided brief relief, it is nowhere near enough to reverse months of deficits. Ground baked hard by summer heat causes initial rainfall to run off the surface rather than absorb into the earth. To allow our underground aquifers and surface reservoirs to fully recover, we need at least average historical rainfall consistently through the autumn and winter months. Without this level of sustained rainfall, resources will continue to decline.
Sussex relies heavily on deep underground aquifers as well as two primary surface reservoirs at Ardingly and Arlington, which are much lower than we’d expect at this time of year. Following several months of exceptionally dry conditions and peak summer demand, Ardingly Reservoir has reached a critically low level.
Timeline of actions taken:
- 3 July: A Temporary Use Ban came into force for customers in Kent.
- 25 July: A Temporary Use Ban came into force for customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire
- 2 October: Announced tightened restrictions in Sussex by removing nearly all hosepipe exemptions (retaining only essential health and safety exemptions). This is enforceable from 9 October.
On Friday, 28 August, we applied for a Drought Permit(opens in a new tab) in Sussex and it was granted by the Environment Agency on Tuesday 29 September. The permit allows us to reduce the amount of additional water that is released from Ardingly Reservoir into the Shell Brook tributary of the River Ouse and reduce the minimum flow of water that must remain in the river at Barcombe Mills after water has been taken from it for customers.
Despite customer water-saving efforts, voluntary restraint, and engineering efforts to move water across our network, storage levels remain vulnerable.
If autumn and winter rainfall remains below the required average threshold, we face a serious risk of low pressure or supply disruptions. Applying for a Non Essential Use Ban is a necessary precautionary step under our Drought Plan.
We are preparing for this step now to ensure essential daily drinking, cooking, and sanitation needs remain fully protected for all our customers.
We have not previously implemented a NEUB.
Yes. Businesses use around a third of all water supplied in the UK, so restrictions on commercial water use can make a significant difference to overall demand.
Businesses can buy borehole or untreated water from services such as Water Direct(opens in a new tab).
The restrictions will cover both metered and unmetered businesses.
Please note that you may only use specific hydrants located at strategic points as outlined by the standpipe hire scheme.
Please be aware that hydrants in Sussex have been temporarily suspended to aid in the recovery of water levels. This suspension does not affect other locations.
Finally, please ensure your standpipe is compliant with the hire scheme, is in proper working order, and is not wasting water.
Yes. The Temporary Use Ban currently in place for household customers in Sussex remains. Furthermore, hosepipe restrictions for household customers in Sussex have been tightened by removing exemptions (except for health and safety purposes) starting from 00:01 on Friday 9 October 2026.
More information can be found here(opens in a new tab).
If implemented, NEUB restrictions will only apply to businesses in Sussex or part of Sussex where we are the wholesale supplier for water.
Customers in Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, and Hampshire continue to be affected by the existing Temporary Use Ban arrangements.
Banned activities and concessions
Under a NEUB, the categories of mains water use which could be restricted are:
- Watering outdoor plants on commercial premises using a hosepipe
- Filling or maintaining a non-domestic swimming pool, paddling pool or hot tub
- Filling or maintaining a pond (unless holding/rearing fish or aquatic animals)
- Operating a mechanical vehicle washer
- Cleaning any vehicle, boat, aircraft or railway rolling stock using a hosepipe (excluding private motor vehicles and private leisure boats, which fall under domestic restrictions)
- Cleaning non-domestic premises (exterior walls and building structures) using a hosepipe
- Cleaning windows on non-domestic buildings using a hosepipe
- Cleaning an industrial plant using a hosepipe
- Suppressing dust using a hosepipe
- Operating cisterns (automatically operated flushing cisterns servicing toilets or urinals) in unoccupied or closed buildings
There will be flexibility to give concessions to the restrictions, based on the
severity of the drought. Concessions would ease the difficulties for businesses, but we would only include them if the drought situation did not require tougher restrictions.
Please refer to the list of possible concessions on our website here.
If you’re on the Priority Services Register, you’re exempt from all restrictions, apart from using a hosepipe to fill or maintain a pond - unless you can’t find an alternative way to fill or maintain the pond safely.
The use of water from private supplies, such as boreholes, reservoirs or harvested rainwater, is not affected by a NEUB. Additionally, water-efficient systems like drip or trickle irrigation, which apply water directly to the soil, are permitted even when other forms of watering are banned. However, you cannot use mains water to top up the water levels of a reservoir or borehole.
You cannot use a hosepipe connected to mains water for any restricted activity, even if carrying it out as a business service, unless a statutory exclusion (such as health and safety) or approved discretionary concession applies.
Compensation and bills
While Non Essential Use Bans target commercial users, the underlying purpose is to protect essential daily water needs and the environment during a drought. The restricted activities are chosen to cause minimum economic disruption and do not attract statutory compensation. Statutory GSS (Guaranteed Service Standards) payments remain applicable for direct service failures, but indirect economic losses (e.g. loss of profit) are not recoverable.
Businesses should direct any enquiries about their bill to their water retailer. If you are unsure who your water retailer is, you will be able to find this out in your latest bill.
Planning for the future
While recent rain showers are welcome after an exceptionally hot and dry year, a few light spells aren't enough to reverse drought conditions. Sun-baked ground causes rain to run off rather than filter down into the underground aquifers, rivers, and reservoirs that supply your drinking water. With Sussex reservoir levels continuing to drop - particularly Ardingly - we are taking clear, proactive steps to protect drinking water supplies.
We are doing everything possible to balance supply and demand across our network. We’ve fast-tracked several key engineering projects to ensure water moves more easily across our network, take the pressure off existing supply sources, and transfer more water directly into Sussex. Major engineering projects are in progress to ease demand on Ardingly Reservoir and slow the rate at which its water levels are falling:
- Bringing a treatment facility back online: This will be manually run to produce an additional 0.4Ml/d of water.
- Connecting county networks: Having fast-tracked the construction of a new pipeline connecting treated water from Bewl in Kent to the East Sussex network, this system is now supplying the network and transferring 0.9 million litres/day. Moving water between counties in this way provides greater resilience and flexibility, and reduces the amount of water being drawn out of Ardingly Reservoir.
- Optimising network pressure in Sussex: We are actively controlling water pressure across Sussex to reduce water stress on our network. Balancing pressure provides a more consistent, reliable supply, minimises burst pipes, and reduces water loss from leaks. For customers, this reduced water waste helps lower bills and means fewer service disruptions.
- Tackling leakage: We’re prioritising the Sussex area around Ardingly to make sure more water we put in supply is reaching customer homes. We’re doing this by doubling the number of leakage teams to support in the affected areas from seven to 14, and will increase further in the coming weeks. Between April and August 2026, we repaired 893 leaks in the region, which is more than last year. However, the prolonged dry weather we’ve experienced this year means the soil has shrunk and contracted, causing significant ground movement. This has put more pressure on pipes and led to an almost 20% increase in reported bursts compared to last year. We’ve also increased our staff in Sussex to the highest number ever to find and fix leaks, from 14 to 21, repair teams. With the extra workforce coming on stream, our goal is to make a noticeable difference for this area.th.
We share our customers' frustrations at seeing drinking water lost to leaks and, especially with our Temporary Use Ban in place, but please be assured that we are working tirelessly to reduce leakage across our network.
We have teams out repairing bursts across our entire network and are prioritising the issues that will see an impact on our customers’ supply.
We have brought in additional repair teams to assist with leakage and bursts on our network. Once our technician has reviewed a reported leak and confirmed a repair is needed, the typical duration for completing a repair has been reduced to one week from the two-week average recorded during the same period last year.
A range of factors come into planning a repair which can impact how long a leak takes to be fixed after it’s been reported. These include the location of the leak, the traffic management required, environmental considerations, other nearby utilities and the risk of customers going without water supply.
We spend around £63 million a year on finding and fixing leaks across the network and are committed to investing further to reduce the amount of water lost to leaks by half by 2050.
In the last year, we have found and fixed over 21,000 leaks on our network, and a further 6,000 customer-side leaks. This is around a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. We have more staff than ever finding and fixing leaks. In total, we have 400 people working on repairing leaks when they are reported, with a further 116 technicians searching for and finding leaks proactively.
Yes – we are meeting regularly with other companies.
The short answer is that it's much more complex than it sounds. Unlike the electricity network, the UK does not have a single, joined-up water system. Instead, our water supply is managed on a regional basis by different companies. We each have our own network of reservoirs, rivers, and boreholes to serve our local area. While some limited connections exist, there isn't a "superhighway" of pipes to move vast amounts of water from the north and west to the south and east.
To move water across the country, we would need to build powerful pumping stations, which would require a huge amount of energy, and would have a significant impact on the environment. Moving water between different natural river basins also risks spreading invasive non-native species (INNS), which could damage ecosystems and cause significant long-term problems. We are doing our best to move water around the network where and when we can.
Instead of relying on a reactive, last-minute approach, we are focused on long-term, sustainable solutions to secure your water supply for the future. These include building new reservoirs, such as the ones planned in Broad Oak, near Canterbury and another at Arlington in Sussex, fixing leaks and promoting water efficiency.
Every five years we update our Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) which looks at how we’ll keep your taps running while striking that delicate balance between protecting the environment and keeping bills affordable. Normally we look 25 years into the future, but because the south east faces a number of unique challenges we’ve looked 50 years ahead to 2075. By doing this we can make sure the work we do now lays the best foundation for future generations. You can find out more by visiting here(opens in a new tab).
Plants and green spaces
Plants grown or kept for sale or commercial use are statutorily excluded from the restriction. You can continue to water commercial stock with mains water, though we strongly encourage using water-efficient methods such as drip or trickle irrigation or watering cans. Non-commercial decorative flowerbeds on the premises cannot be watered using a mains hosepipe.
Newly bought or newly planted stock may be granted a discretionary concession based on drought severity, but watering with a hosepipe connected to mains water is otherwise restricted unless water-efficient micro-irrigation or hand-held containers are used.
Under Temporary Use Ban restrictions, active playing areas may be watered outside peak hours (8am–10am and 5pm–9pm) for player health and safety. Under NEUB, watering non-commercial plants or grass using a mains hosepipe is restricted unless using non-handheld drip/trickle irrigation systems or watering cans.
If a sports facility has a private reservoir, they should not use a hosepipe connected to mains water to top up the water levels.
You cannot use a hosepipe connected to mains water. You may use watering cans and buckets filled from allotment taps, or harvested rainwater. This is a great, eco-friendly way to keep your plot watered.
Cleaning and maintenance
Cleaning windows or exterior walls of non-domestic buildings using a hosepipe connected to mains water is prohibited unless required for health and safety reasons. Discretionary concessions may be offered for businesses whose sole operation relies on building cleaning, or where apparatus is not connected to the mains supply (e.g. pure water tank systems filled prior or off-site).
Road sweepers often use large-diameter standpipes from defined depots, making their water usage case-specific. The purpose of the water use (e.g., public health near a hospital versus dust suppression) and where the water is obtained from may mean some activities are not included in the restrictions.
Yes. There is a concession for this covered under health and safety.
Local authorities
You cannot fill or maintain an ornamental fountain/water feature with mains water while the ban is in place.
During the period of the ban, hosepipes and sprinklers connected to mains water cannot be used for watering floral beds or displays or hanging baskets in public locations. However, this does not include plants grown or kept for sale or commercial use, or are part of a National Collection or temporary garden display. There is also a concession that could be applied for new plants or a water efficient system is used, such as drip/micro-irrigation.
We appreciate that local authorities do take their own role in using water as carefully as possible. If activities, such as public garden maintenance or watering town centre floral displays, can be done using alternative means, such as using watering cans, or alternative more water efficient products, then this is welcomed.
You can’t use mains water for this. We would recommend using alternatives such as a watering can or products such as drip or trickle irrigation systems, fitted with pressure reducing valves and timers, making them more water-efficient.
A play pool area in a council park that is open to the public is not included in the restrictions and can still be used. If the pool has water fountains the following applies: if the fountain operates by recycling a small amount of water drawn from the same body of water into which it pours water then this can continue to be operated. If, however, it needs to be replenished with mains water, you cannot use it while restrictions are in place.
Where the graffiti is a hate crime, insulting or offensive, mains water can be used to remove this from walls and buildings.
Vehicles
Operating a mechanical vehicle washer or using a hosepipe connected to mains water to clean commercial vehicles is restricted. However, statutory exclusions apply for health and safety cleaning (e.g., mirrors, headlights, windscreens). Discretionary concessions may also be considered for small businesses whose sole operation is vehicle cleaning, or where low-water technologies are used. Alternative water sources (e.g., harvested rainwater or waterless products) are permitted.
Limousines are affected. They would need to be washed with water from another source, such as harvested rainwater.
You wouldn’t be able to use mains water for this. You would need to find an alternative way to keep the cars clean such as harvested rainwater.
No you cannot wash any vehicles using a jetwash or hosepipe connected to mains water other than for health and safety reasons. You can still use harvested rainwater in a bucket or waterless car washing products that are now available.
Farms
Your commercial agricultural activities will not be affected by the ban but you must observe all of the prohibited uses in your home and garden as per the Temporary Use Ban. We would still encourage you to consider saving water and explore water-saving methods such as using harvested rainwater on your farm. We also continue to encourage farms to continue checking and fixing leaks on troughs, connections and pipework and take regular meter readings to help you identify leaks quicker.
We also ask you to register any abstraction(opens in a new tab) you have that may go above 20m3/day with the Environment Agency.
Have a look at our website to find out more about how we work with farmers and landowners.
Yes. You can still use mains water to fill a trough during the ban.
Animals
You can use mains water to clean animals and their areas, e.g. yard or stable. We would encourage you to be as efficient as possible when you do this.
If there is a risk to the welfare of the animal, and cleaning them cannot be reasonably done by other means, then yes, you can use a hosepipe in that instance.
Yes. You should keep your pond topped up to a minimum level to safeguard the fish but please remember that tap water needs conditioning before it is used to top up a pond.
Hospitals, prisons, education and care homes
Schools and universities must not use mains water for any activity that isn't considered essential. This includes watering the non-playing area of sports fields and decorative areas (such as ornamental gardens), non-essential cleaning (such as cleaning the outside of buildings and footpaths) and topping up water features that are not essential for wildlife and cannot be refilled using other water sources. You can continue using mains water for health and safety reasons and for core academic functions. This means schools and universities can continue to use water for sanitation and hygiene (such as toilets, kitchens) and academic activities (such as in science labs and research facilities).
However, we do recommend that they continue to use water mindfully until we are confident that resources have replenished to levels we are happy with.
No. Hospitals and prisons are not included in the restrictions. If certain activities are still needed, like maintaining public gardens, we would encourage more water efficient methods such as using a watering can or other water saving systems.
Yes. Under the restrictions, you cannot use mains water for any of the restricted activities, which means you cannot water for non-essential purposes like watering the communal garden or cleaning the building’s exterior. Instead you should use alternative methods such as harvested rainwater.
Pools and water fountains
Pools with religious significance are allowed to operate normally and you can use mains water to top up the levels if necessary as they are not included in the restrictions.
While there are some activities not included in the restrictions, such as for fountains that provide oxygen to a fishpond or have religious significance, ornamental fountains and water features are considered a non-essential recreational use of water and would fall under the NEUB restrictions.
Pools that are restricted to members only e.g. hotel pool, private leisure club etc. fall under the restrictions and you would not be able to use mains water to top up water levels.
However, there are some concessions that could be applied, such as for pools serving industrial training (i.e for cabin crew training or underwater operations), pools subject to significant repair and renovation and pools with approved water conservation/recycling systems. Additionally, if a pool is being used for medical treatment, to keep fish and for school swimming lessons, then mains water may be used to top up the levels.
You will not be able to use mains water to maintain or fill the hot tubs.
The ban prohibits the filling of all domestic swimming pools, unless it is done with a water conservation recycling system or by hand held container. However, there is a concession that could be applied where you can use mains water if you are filling or maintaining a permanent pool where necessary in the course of construction, where it is needed for medical treatment or in places of worship or part of religious ceremonies. Ideally, water from pools that need to be refurbished or repaired should be retained in a temporary structure.
No. The ban prohibits the filling of all non-domestic swimming pools, unless it is done with a water conservation recycling system or by hand held container. However, there is a concession that could be applied where you can use mains water if you are filling or maintaining a permanent pool where necessary in the course of construction, where it is related to medical treatment or in places of worship or part of religious ceremonies.
Staying updated
Businesses can stay up to date about our NEUB Drought Order application and any subsequent changes to it through our website, through water retailers and local media outlets.
If you have any questions about this application and pay your bills to a Water Retailer, please call our Wholesale Service Desk on 0333 000 0018.
If you are a domestic customer and running a business from your home and pay your bills directly to South East Water, please call our Customer Services team on 0333 000 0001.