Sussex Hosepipe Ban Live: What Exterior Cleaners Need to Know

Mark Cave

Last week I warned you that South East Water was about to pull the commercial exemption on hosepipes in Sussex. Well, that warning has turned into reality. So this is a follow up, because things have moved, and some of it is already law while some of it is only a proposal. You need to know which is which.

Mark Cave

Let's start with the one that's live. As of Friday 9 October 2026, South East Water's tighter hosepipe restrictions are in force across its Sussex supply area. This is not a proposal. It's an active restriction.

Mark Cave

What's changed is this. The exemption that let cleaning businesses use a hosepipe on domestic properties has been removed. Hosepipe cleaning of windows, walls, paths, patios and private vehicles, as a commercial service, is no longer exempt. If you've been turning up at a house in Sussex, connecting to the customer's outside tap and getting on with it, that's the thing that's stopped.

Mark Cave

Now, what's still allowed? Water use that's necessary for health, safety or animal welfare. There are also recycled water systems and drip or trickle irrigation with timers or pressure valves. That's a narrow list. And here's where I want you to be careful. Clearing algae or moss off a patio or a render wall for appearance's sake does not automatically count as health and safety. Don't stretch the wording to suit the job.

Mark Cave

If you genuinely believe a job is covered, say there's an urgent slip hazard, then put the risk down in your site specific RAMS. And get written confirmation from South East Water. Don't rely on a verbal assumption, and don't rely on what the customer thinks they heard.

Mark Cave

The other trap is simply knowing whose water it is. Supply boundaries vary. A property might be South East Water, or it might be another supplier like Southern Water. So before you quote, and before you arrive on site, check the water supplier for that exact address. Every job. Not just the postcode area you think you know.

Mark Cave

And please drop the idea that being a registered business gives you a free pass. It doesn't. In Sussex, trading as a business is not an automatic exemption from the domestic hosepipe restrictions.

Mark Cave

Now to the proposals. Three of these, and I want you to keep them in a separate box in your head. The first is a second move by South East Water in Sussex. It has applied to Defra for a Non Essential Use Ban, under a Drought Order. The legal basis is Sections 73 and 74 of the Water Resources Act 1991.

Mark Cave

Application only. It has not been approved. It is not in effect. South East Water itself says that even if it is granted, it would only be implemented if the drought situation in Sussex becomes more severe.

Mark Cave

But look at what it would cover, because it's aimed squarely at us. Cleaning non domestic premises, so exterior walls and structures, with a hosepipe. Cleaning windows on non domestic buildings with a hosepipe. Cleaning industrial plant. Dust suppression. Cleaning commercial vehicles. The ban would hit commercial and non domestic water use, so this is the commercial side of your diary.

Mark Cave

If you want to have your say, objections go to the Secretary of State at Defra, by post or by email, and they must be in by Friday 16 October 2026. That's this Friday. The email address is water dot resources at defra dot gov dot uk. If this affects your business, that is your window to be heard. After that, it's out of your hands.

Mark Cave

The third is new. In the South West, South West Water applied to Defra on 6 October 2026 for a Non Essential Use Ban of its own. The areas are Mid Devon, parts of East Devon, and a small part of Dorset, with Exeter, Exmouth, Crediton, Sidmouth, Tiverton and Lyme Regis named.

Mark Cave

Again, I'm going to be really clear. This is an application. Commercial exterior cleaning is not prohibited there at the moment. But the proposal includes cleaning non domestic buildings and premises with mains water, alongside vehicle washing, industrial plant, dust suppression and watering plants on commercial premises. Households there are already under a hosepipe ban across the wider South West region. This proposal is aimed at businesses.

Mark Cave

South West Water's Sam Bottomley said the region is entering a critical phase of an exceptionally prolonged drought. His point was that recent rain helps, but rainfall first has to replenish dry soils before rivers recover, and only then can reservoirs recover. So don't read a wet week as a reason to relax.

Mark Cave

So what do you actually do now? Three things.

Mark Cave

One. Check the restrictions for every job. Water supplier first, then the current rules for that area, before you accept the job or turn up with the van.

Mark Cave

Two. Keep law and proposal apart. The Sussex domestic exemption removal is in force today. The two Non Essential Use Bans are applications. Treat the first as a rule you must follow, and the others as warnings to plan around. Don't tell a customer something is banned when it's only proposed, and don't tell them something is fine just because it hasn't been approved yet, if another restriction already applies.

Mark Cave

Three. Plan your water. In a restricted area, that means working out where your water comes from before the day, not plugging into the customer's mains tap on arrival. That could be pre filled tanks from outside the restricted supply zone, or compliant alternative or harvested supplies.

Mark Cave

This is moving fast. Check the supplier's own pages regularly, because the position can change from one week to the next. I'll keep you updated here at SoftWash UK as soon as there's something solid to report.