Seven million people are at risk of being fined £1,000 for washing their car with a hosepipe as Anglian Water enforces a strict new ban from July 11. The ban, which came into effect at 1am on Saturday, prohibits using hosepipes for watering gardens, filling paddling pools, and cleaning cars due to soaring temperatures and high demand.
Anglian Water hosepipe ban details
Anglian Water serves approximately seven million customers across eight counties: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, and Suffolk. Major towns and cities under the ban include Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Milton Keynes, Northampton, and Peterborough. Hartlepool is exempt from the restrictions.
In a statement, Anglian Water said: “We've made the difficult decision to introduce temporary hosepipe restrictions for customers across our region, except Hartlepool. We know this won't be welcome news. After weeks of hot, dry weather and exceptionally high demand, we're using water faster than it can be replaced naturally.”
Impact on motorists and fines
Washing cars with a hosepipe is explicitly banned, leaving motorists vulnerable to enforcement. While a £1,000 fine is technically possible, Anglian Water stated they “will always aim to act fairly, reasonably and proportionately.” They noted that individuals would typically receive multiple reminders first, and “formal enforcement action is expected to be rare.”
The company added: “Our teams are currently treating and supplying around 30% more water than usual, but water is being used faster than it can be replaced naturally in rivers, groundwater sources and reservoirs.” This is the first temporary use hosepipe ban introduced since 2012.
Heatwave and regional vulnerability
The ban coincides with the UK's third heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach 30°C in the coming days. Anglian Water highlighted that the East of England is the driest region in the UK and “one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.” River levels across the region are currently below normal, and reservoir storage levels are lower than expected.
