- Nine water companies have active hosepipe bans as of 4 August 2026, and Southern Water has now applied to go further, opening a consultation on a Drought Order for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
- Hosepipe bans affect gardens, cars, patios and pools, not campsite showers or toilets, but several canal routes have low-water restrictions that can affect narrowboat holidays.
- Yorkshire Water alone serves 5.5 million people with zero restrictions, so a UK holiday isn’t off the table if your usual spot is affected.
How bad is the UK drought in 2026?
England is in the middle of what the Environment Agency has called a flash drought. On 29 July 2026 the agency moved half of England, including London, into official drought status, with seven areas covering 51.4% of the country affected.
July 2026 was exceptionally dry across England. Rainfall reached only around 7% of the long-term average for the month.
That puts July on track to be the driest since national records began in 1836, according to the Environment Agency.
National reservoir storage has fallen to around 72% of capacity, roughly 9.5% below the seasonal average.
Three reservoirs, Blagdon, Wimbleball and Hanningfield, are classified as exceptionally low for the time of year.
The National Drought Group, which includes the Environment Agency and water companies, met again on 28 July 2026 to coordinate the response. Its chair, Helen Wakeham, called this “a second consecutive summer drought” and “an exceptionally serious situation” with long-lasting impacts on the environment, wildlife and the economy.
That is the backdrop for the hosepipe ban areas below.
Hosepipe ban areas: which water companies are affected
A hosepipe ban, officially a Temporary Use Ban (TUB), stops customers using a hosepipe for gardens, cars, patios, pools or boats. Watering cans and buckets are still allowed, and the restrictions don’t apply to showers, toilets or drinking water at your accommodation.
Here is the status by water company as of 4 August 2026. Check the “not currently” companies too if your trip is in one of those regions.
The situation kept moving into August. On 4 August 2026, Southern Water opened a public consultation on a Drought Order and Non-Essential Use Ban (NEUB) for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, on top of its existing hosepipe ban. If granted, an NEUB would extend restrictions to some business customers too, covering things like non-essential swimming pools, vehicle washing and window cleaning. Applying doesn’t guarantee the order is approved, but it’s a sign the South Coast remains under sustained pressure.
Breaking a hosepipe ban as a household customer can carry a fine of up to £1,000 under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. It’s worth checking your specific water company’s rules if you’re staying with friends or family, or in a self-catering property with a garden, in any of these areas.
What a hosepipe ban means for your campsite trip
Here’s the quick version before the detail below.
- ✓ Shower, toilet and sink at your accommodation
- ✓ Drinking water, kettles and washing machines
- ✓ A campsite’s own hosepipe use — it’s a business customer, not bound by the household ban
- ✓ Watering a garden or pitch with a can or bucket
- ✗ Garden hosepipe use at a self-catering property with its own supply
- ✗ Washing a car, caravan or boat with a hosepipe
- ✗ Filling or topping up a paddling pool or hot tub with a hosepipe
- ✗ Some canal routes and lock flights, closed by the Canal & River Trust to conserve water — a separate, navigation-only restriction
A hosepipe ban (TUB) is a legal restriction under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, but it applies to household customers, not businesses. A campsite is normally a business customer, so it isn’t legally bound by the same ban, even in an affected area.
In practice, most sites still ask guests to conserve voluntarily rather than hose down pitches, vehicles or fill a pool, in line with their water company’s appeal. Your own shower, toilet and drinking water at the site aren’t affected either way, whether the request is legal or voluntary.
If your planned campsite is in a hosepipe ban area, the trip itself is very unlikely to be affected. The legal restriction doesn’t apply to the site’s business water use, and the practical ask is about conservation, not a barrier to travelling.
Canal and narrowboat holidays: what’s actually restricted
Canal holidays are where the UK drought 2026 has a more direct effect on travel plans.
The Canal & River Trust says the network is under sustained pressure as reservoir and river levels feeding the canals keep falling, and it’s taking steps to manage water levels and keep boats moving.
In the Trust’s most detailed published breakdown of affected routes, the picture splits into two tiers: lock flights closed outright, and canals under pressure where restrictions vary by stretch.
The five lock flights on the left are a harder stop; reservoirs feeding them are being held back to conserve water.
The ten canals on the right aren’t necessarily closed; restrictions vary by stretch, so a route touching one of them still needs a specific check rather than a blanket assumption.
If you have a narrowboat holiday booked on one of the affected canals, check the Canal & River Trust’s live “Notices and stoppages” map before you travel, and speak to your hire operator about alternative routes. Restrictions are concentrated across the Midlands and northern England, where several of the affected reservoirs and lock flights sit, so check your specific route rather than assuming any one region is clear.
Where you can still holiday in the UK without restrictions
Plenty of the UK is unaffected by the drought. Yorkshire Water has confirmed no hosepipe ban and no restrictions planned, with reservoirs healthier than a year ago.
The chart below ranks the water companies with an active hosepipe ban by how many people it covers, alongside Yorkshire Water, which is the same size as several of the banned companies but has no restriction at all — it’s the green bar, not a smaller ban.
Thames Water’s ban alone covers more people than live in the whole of Yorkshire, and Anglian Water’s affects more than five million. But Yorkshire Water’s 5.5 million customers face no hosepipe restriction whatsoever, and neither do most of Scotland, Northern Ireland or the north-west of England below.
Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire remain in the Environment Agency’s less severe “prolonged dry weather” category rather than full drought, as of its most recent report. Scotland and Northern Ireland fall outside the Environment Agency’s England-focused drought reporting altogether.
If your campsite or canal trip in Devon, Kent, Sussex or the Thames Valley has been disrupted, a hotel-based stay is a straightforward alternative, since normal hotel plumbing isn’t affected by hosepipe-ban restrictions the way an outdoor pitch or a boat’s water tank can be. You can compare hotel stays in London on Wego if your Thames Valley or Home Counties plans need a rethink, or look at hotels in Devon as a fallback if a South West campsite is affected.
For a trip further north, where none of the current bans apply, you can also compare hotels in Yorkshire on Wego, and check flights to the UK if you’re travelling in from abroad.
UK Drought 2026 vs. Europe’s other drought stories this summer
The UK isn’t the only destination dealing with a dry summer in 2026. Wego’s drought-impact series has already covered water restrictions affecting travelers in Cyprus, Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Greece.
This UK piece fills that gap with the local detail those articles don’t cover: hosepipe ban areas by water company, and the specific effect on campsites and canal holidays. For the heatwave conditions driving the UK drought, see our UK heatwave update, which covers temperatures and travel advisories in more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a hosepipe ban where I’m staying in the UK?
It depends on your water company. Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Anglian Water, South West Water, Affinity Water, Cambridge Water, Welsh Water and Essex & Suffolk Water all have active bans as of 4 August 2026, nine companies in total, and Southern Water has now applied to go further with a Drought Order for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Yorkshire Water has none, and the North West remains in the lower “prolonged dry weather” category rather than full drought.
Do hosepipe bans affect my campsite booking?
No, not directly. Bans stop hosepipe use for gardens, cars, patios, pools and boats, but not your shower, toilet or drinking water. Sites in banned areas are simply asked to avoid non-essential outdoor water use.
Are canal boat holidays cancelled because of the drought?
Not wholesale, but some routes are restricted. Several Birmingham lock flights have been closed in the Trust’s most recent detailed update, and canals across the network have low-water limits, so check the Canal & River Trust’s live stoppage map and your hire operator before you travel.
What can I still do if I’m on holiday in a hosepipe ban area?
Almost everything except outdoor hosepipe use. Showers, sinks, laundry and drinking water are unaffected; you just can’t use a hosepipe for a pool, car, patio or boat.
How long will the UK drought and hosepipe bans last?
The National Drought Group, which met again on 28 July 2026, has called this a serious, second consecutive summer drought with long-lasting environmental impact. There’s no fixed end date for any of the current bans, and how long they last depends on rainfall in the coming months.
Planning around the UK drought this summer
The UK drought 2026 has real, region-specific effects on campsites and canal holidays, but it doesn’t rule out a UK trip. Check your destination against the hosepipe ban list above, confirm any canal route with the Canal & River Trust, and consider a hotel stay in an unaffected region like Yorkshire, or in London and the Home Counties where normal plumbing isn’t touched by the restrictions, if your original plan is affected.
Compare flights to the UK on Wego, or compare hotel stays in London and other UK cities as a practical fallback if your campsite or canal booking runs into water restrictions.
Sources
- Environment Agency / GOV.UK — Dry weather and drought in England: 24 to 30 July 2026
- Euronews — More than half of England “officially in drought,” UK Environment Agency says (29 Jul 2026)
- Time Out — Hosepipe ban areas, July 2026
- Canal & River Trust — Drought conditions: navigation update (last detailed route breakdown, Aug 2025)
- Canal Boat — Canal & River Trust response to the drought status across much of England and Wales (3 Aug 2026)
- Water UK — Hosepipe bans FAQs
- Ofwat — Hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans: what they mean for you
- Yorkshire Water — Is there a hosepipe ban?
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water — Welsh Water introduces hosepipe ban affecting 33,000 properties in west Wales
- Essex & Suffolk Water — Water Resources
- South East Water — Temporary hosepipe restrictions for South East Water’s customers
- Cambridge Water — Temporary hosepipe ban
- South West Water — Hosepipe ban
- Pulman’s Weekly — Holidaymakers urged to save water as Devon and Somerset face prolonged dry spell (Consumer Council for Water guidance)
- Southern Water — Drought Order and Non-Essential Use Ban consultation for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (4 Aug 2026)
- Yorkshire Water — Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023/24 (5.5m customers served)
Disclaimer: We’ve worked hard to make sure the information in this article is as accurate and up to date as possible at the time of publishing. Travel details such as prices, schedules, visa rules, and entry requirements can change at short notice, so it remains your responsibility to verify the current details with official sources before you book or travel. Wego accepts no liability for any loss or inconvenience arising from the use of this content.
