The hosepipe ban is still on in E20, with no end date

As of 23 October, the hosepipe ban is still on in East Village: no hose or sprinkler on plants, the car or a paddling pool, though a watering can or bucket is fine. It began on 23 July, and Thames Water's page, last updated on 12 October, says it stays until "sustained rainfall" refills rivers and groundwater. There is no end date.

What you can't do with a hose

The legal notice bans using a hosepipe to:

• water a garden or plants
• wash a private car
• fill or top up a paddling pool or pond
• clean windows, paths or patios

Sprinklers count as hosepipes. So do dripper hoses and automatic irrigation. The notice defines "garden" to include "any other green space", not only a private lawn.

What you can still do

A bucket or watering can filled from the tap is allowed, so balcony pots and a bucket car wash are fine. So is rainwater from a water butt, even through a hose. Businesses cleaning cars or windows as a service to customers are exempt.

The legal notice says anyone who breaks the ban may be fined up to £1,000.

Does it cover E20?

Thames Water's pages don't name Newham or east London. The notice says the ban covers "the whole of Thames Water supply area", and EVH's Water and drainage page says Thames Water provides water across London.

Sources: Thames Water temporary hosepipe ban, last updated 12 October 2026, and its legal notice.

Seen a change of rules, or a Thames Water notice EVH has missed? Send it to the tip line.

Photo: Magnific, free licence.