Environment Agency declares drought across East Anglia

The Environment Agency placed half of England, including Essex and Suffolk, in drought on Wednesday 29 July 2026¹. Following that announcement, Essex & Suffolk Water is introducing a Temporary Use Ban, also known as a hosepipe ban, for customers across its entire supply area². The company says the restrictions are implemented immediately and enforced from 00.01am on Monday 3 August².

The ban covers all customers supplied with mains water by Essex & Suffolk Water in Essex, Suffolk, part of Norfolk and the London Boroughs of Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge¹. It prohibits using a hosepipe, or any attachment such as a pressure washer, sprinkler or irrigation system, for watering a garden or plants on domestic premises, cleaning a private motor vehicle or private leisure boat, filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool, filling a domestic pond or ornamental fountain, and cleaning walls, windows, paths, patios or other artificial outdoor surfaces¹. The company reports that customers are using an average of an extra 29 million litres of water per day, which it describes as the equivalent of adding an extra Chelmsford to its supply area, and that Hanningfield and Abberton reservoirs were at a combined average of 69 per cent, below average for the time of year². It says this is the first time since June 1997 that it has had to put restrictions in place, and that it is the last water company in East Anglia to introduce a ban².

Customers can still water gardens and grow fruit and vegetables with a watering can instead of a hose or sprinkler, and can use collected rainwater, reused household water or water from their own supply such as a borehole². The company lists exceptions covering health and safety, the welfare of animals, Blue Badge holders and people with reduced mobility who cannot use a watering can, approved drip or trickle irrigation systems with a pressure-reducing valve and timer, newly laid turf in its first 28 days, commercial cleaning services, and watering trees and food crops where hand watering is not reasonably practicable¹. It states that only Blue Badge holders or those with mobility issues who are unable to use a watering can are exempt, and that the exemption does not extend to other household members who can use a watering can¹. A Temporary Use Ban can only be applied to domestic customers, and the company says it is working with retailers of its business customers².

Why it matters for households

Households across the whole Essex & Suffolk Water supply area are affected from 3 August, and the company asks customers to start putting the ban into effect now². The restrictions will stay in place until water supplies have recovered sufficiently and conditions return closer to normal; the company says they are likely to remain in effect over the summer and will be kept under regular review¹. The company advises that a hosepipe can use 1,000 litres an hour if used consistently, against approximately 154 litres per person per day¹. It says the dry ground is causing pipes to move and crack, and that in the first six months of 2026 it repaired 3,533 leaks or bursts across Essex and Suffolk¹. The current situation page sets out where restrictions apply, and the guide to watering a garden, allotment and new lawn in a hosepipe ban covers the permitted alternatives. The explainer on how drought is declared in England and what each stage means sets out the stages behind the Environment Agency's decision.

What happens next

The ban is enforced from 00.01am on Monday 3 August². Essex & Suffolk Water says it will share updates on its website and social media channels and will not keep restrictions in place longer than necessary¹. The company has £66 million set aside for replacing 225 km of pipe between 2025 and 2030 as part of its Big Upgrade programme².