Drought-Ready Gardens

Prepare your garden before the next dry summer.

Systems designed to use water efficiently and, where applicable, meet the requirements for approved drip or trickle irrigation under your local water company's rules.

There's no single "hosepipe ban rule" in the UK.

Temporary Use Bans are imposed by individual water companies under their own powers, and the exact conditions for what's still allowed vary between suppliers. We won't tell you a system is universally "compliant" — we design it around what your specific water company actually requires.

Water companyTypical drip/trickle exemption conditions
Southern Water Approved drip/trickle system, not handheld, fitted with a pressure-reducing valve and timer
South East Water Not handheld, fitted with a pressure-reducing valve and timer, delivers water directly to/below the soil with no run-off
Thames Water Approved drip/trickle system with a pressure-reducing valve and timer, delivering water directly to/below the soil without spray or run-off
These are examples, not guarantees. Water company rules change with drought conditions and can be updated at any time. As part of your assessment, we confirm the exact current wording for your own supplier — not a generic list like this one.

What a drought-ready system includes

  • Drip / trickle irrigation, designed to your supplier's specific requirements
  • Optional rainwater storage, to reduce mains dependency entirely
  • Pumped irrigation where needed
  • Automatic controls with a properly fitted timer
  • Efficient application, directly to plant roots — no spray, no run-off
  • Optional mains backup, for when stored rainwater runs low

Want to check your own system right now?

Our free 2-minute tool checks your current setup against the common exemption pattern.

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Don't wait for the next ban to find out.

2026 has already seen Temporary Use Bans across multiple English water companies. Get ahead of the next one.

Get a free irrigation assessment →