Drought Rules Update, Sanctuary Care Opportunity, and Electrical Safety

Mark Cave

Right, it's Monday 2 November 2026, and this is your SoftWash UK industry bulletin. Three things worth your time, and then a quick check on what hasn't changed. I'm starting with water, because it's the one that can stop you doing a job or leave you on the wrong side of a rule.

Mark Cave

The Environment Agency published its drought summary on 30 October, covering 23 to 29 October. Two named storms, Austen and Boelo, made it the wettest reporting week in England since October 2024. October rainfall to date is 111% of the long term average. Reservoir storage for England rose to 57.9% as of 27 October. So yes, it's been properly wet, and I know a lot of you looked out of the van window and thought the problem was over.

Mark Cave

It isn't. That 57.9% is still 19% below average for the time of year. Ten reservoirs or reservoir groups are classed as exceptionally low. Seventeen are less than half full. And groundwater levels are still falling at most sites, because the soil is so dry that the rain isn't recharging anything yet. The Environment Agency also says we need at least 120% of average rainfall over the next six months for the whole country to be out of drought by next spring.

Mark Cave

Severe drought remains in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. That's the areas relying on Ardingly, Wimbleball, the Kenninck, Tottisford and Trenchford group, Venford, Stithians and Drift, plus several smaller reservoirs in Devon and west Cornwall. If you listened to our earlier episodes, Drought Rules, Workplace Risks and Runoff Plans, and the Sussex Water Ban Update, this is the same story, just wetter.

Mark Cave

Now the bit that matters on the job. Temporary use bans are still widespread. The Environment Agency lists Affinity, Anglian, Bristol, Cambridge, Essex and Suffolk, Southern for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, South East, South West, Thames and Wessex. Several of those cover their whole company area, so read the detail for your postcode. On top of that, the smaller appointed water companies, the NAVs like Leaf, Leep and Independent Water Networks, have mirrored the bans for customers in those areas. So your customer might not even be with the company you assume.

Mark Cave

One point I want to be careful about. Proposed business use bans for South East Water and South West Water are still applications. They're at the drought permit stage. They are not restrictions already in force. Don't tell a customer there's a ban on commercial water use when there isn't one yet, and don't tell them there's no risk either. Both are wrong.

Mark Cave

So here's the practical bit. Before you quote, check your water supplier's current rules for the property address. Before you turn up, confirm in writing with the customer how the water is being supplied and what you're allowed to use. If you're mixing, rinsing and flushing equipment, work out how much water the job actually needs. Rain on the forecast is not a permission slip. The rules change when the supplier says they change, not when the weather does.

Mark Cave

Second item, and this one's an opportunity. Sanctuary Care, which runs 108 not for profit care homes across England and Scotland, has opened a preliminary market engagement. The notice is dated 28 to 29 October. They want feedback from suppliers on planned and reactive window cleaning, communal glazing and gutter clearance. For the gutters, that means downpipes, hopper heads, clearing debris, a visual inspection, and photographic evidence of completion.

Mark Cave

Let's be clear on what this is. It's market research to help shape their procurement strategy. It is not a live tender. It is not an awarded contract. It's not a guaranteed framework. The headline figure is £625,000, usually quoted across a three year term, but that's an initial estimate and it may change. And softwashing is not specified anywhere in the scope.

Mark Cave

So why should you care? Because regional and smaller contractors can respond, and the deadline is 15 November 2026. Responding costs you some time, not a bid bond. If you already do windows and gutters, you could end up in a conversation with a large, multi site client. If you only do softwashing, it's a reminder that gutter clearance and window cleaning are how plenty of commercial relationships start. Get through the door with the basics, document it properly with photos, and the bigger exterior work can follow later. Nothing is promised, but it's worth an hour of your week.

Mark Cave

Third item. On 27 October, the HSE reported a prosecution. Warrington Magistrates' Court fined Epco Energy Solutions Limited £20,000, plus £15,239 in costs, on 22 October. The company had issued false electrical safety certificates for two hand car washes in Runcorn. Those sites were still dangerous, with a risk of electrocution to staff and the public.

Mark Cave

You're not a car wash, and I'm not going to pretend this is a new rule for us. It isn't. But HSE Inspector Rose Leese-Weller made the point that businesses with a close relationship with water need electrical installations and equipment that are safely maintained and fit for purpose. That describes our work. Think about what you run. Twelve volt delivery pumps, mains powered pressure washers, proportioning systems, immersion heaters, extension leads, all of it sitting near lots of water and chemical runoff.

Mark Cave

The lesson from that case is paperwork that doesn't match reality. A certificate that says everything's fine while the kit is damaged is worse than no certificate, because it gives people false comfort. So look at your cables, plugs, connectors and leads. Look at where they sit when it's wet. Use RCD protection. And if something's damaged or you're not sure, get a competent person to inspect or repair it. Those duties already exist under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Mark Cave

Finally, the horizon scan. As at 2 November 2026, I have not verified any new Great Britain rule on biocides or sodium hypochlorite. I haven't found a significant new softwashing equipment launch. And there's no new training standard for exterior cleaning. If you see somebody online claiming otherwise, ask for the source.

Mark Cave

So the recap. One, rain has helped, but drought is still severe in the South West and Sussex, temporary use bans remain widespread, and the business use bans for South East Water and South West Water are still proposals. Check the supplier's rules and get it in writing. Two, Sanctuary Care's care home market engagement closes 15 November. It's not a tender, softwashing isn't in scope, and the figure is an estimate. Three, check your electrical kit and don't rely on paperwork alone. And COSHH, environmental discharge controls and electrical safety remain the benchmark. That's it for this week. Stay safe out there.