Yorkshire Water declares hosepipe ban - when will the hosepipe ban begin?

Yorkshire Water has announced a hosepipe ban will come into force for the region.

The company has said it is necessary to move into the next stage of its drought plan which means introducing temporary restrictions on the use of hosepipes from July 11.

The Environment Agency announced Yorkshire had entered into a drought on June 12, as a result of low rainfall, river levels, and groundwater in the region.

Dave Kaye, Yorkshire Water’s director of water, said: “We need to take action now to help conserve water and protect Yorkshire's environment. That means from Friday this week, people across Yorkshire will need to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.

“Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’ve been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place.

“Our region experienced an extremely dry spring, which resulted in the region entering drought status in June. Usually, spring is a time when our groundwater sources and reservoirs continue to be topped-up by changeable weather, but this has not been the case in 2025, with our reservoir stocks falling since the last week of January.

“Of course, we have seen a few periods of changeable weather more recently, which helped slightly with the water resources picture. But these have been followed by constant high temperatures and more dry weather, which causes increased water usage.

“We’re grateful to our customers, who have been saving water where they can this year already. It is really important that we all continue to do so.”

What is not permitted during a hosepipe ban?

Activities that are not permitted while the temporary restrictions are in place include:

• Using a hosepipe to water a garden
• Using a hosepipe to clean private vehicles or boats
• Watering plants with a hosepipe on a domestic or other non-commercial premises
• Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming, paddling pool, hot tub or cold-water plunge pool with a hosepipe
• Using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use
• Filling or maintaining a domestic pond or ornamental fountain using a hosepipe
• Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe
• Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe
• Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe