Anger after Thames Water announce hosepipe ban impacting 16m people

Thames Water announced that a hosepipe ban will be implemented this week across its areas, with Oxfordshire included.

Following the driest spring in years, three official heatwaves, record temperatures and sustained high demand.

But Oxfordshire residents have reacted with anger to the announcement, as the company remains on the brink of collapse, and residents claim the company fails to fix all leaks.

Hosepipe ban is set to come into place in Oxfordshire. (Image: Melanie Hobson via Getty Images)

Owen Armstrong said: “I very much hope that everyone disregards the ban, I shall gladly disregard the ban myself.

“When you pay for the water, disregard what the water companies say about using a hosepipe!

“When they can splash millions / billions out in bonuses etc then they can certainly go on a hosepipe ban!”

Alan Jones said: “The clue is in the title, the Thames isn’t drying up the reservoirs are full, oh well I’m using a hose.”

Martin CG said: “Just banned the bank from sending you money.”

Thames Water is introducing the Temporary Use Ban (TUB), also known as a hosepipe ban, for all customers it supplies with drinking water.

Pete Walsh questioned the introduction of the ban, he said “data from the Met Office indicates that the first half of 2026 was remarkably unsettled”.

“The UK experienced an exceptionally wet winter and spring, followed by an unusually wet and warm June, resulting in cumulative rainfall totals generally above the long-term average.”

Marc Bridle: “Tell Thames water to go away and go pay the bills what they can’t pay them stop polluting the rivers.”

A protest sign at Thames Water’s HQ in Reading (Image: @Athirty4)

The restrictions will come into effect at 12.01am on Thursday (July 23) and mean customers in the affected areas must not use hosepipes for non-essential activities.

This includes watering gardens, cleaning cars, filling paddling pools or topping up hot tubs.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for Thames Water told the Oxford Mail they are continuing to monitor river levels, reservoir levels, and groundwater levels as South East Water introduce a hosepipe ban.

This comes after South East Water announced that 2.4 million customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire will be affected by temporary restrictions from Saturday.

Both hosepipe bans come after 28 days this year have seen temperatures exceed 30C somewhere in the UK.

At the end of June Thames Water confirmed soil was drier than average, river flow in the River Thames and River Lee were below average, and reservoirs in London were 89 per cent full which is below average.

However, the water company confirmed Farmoor Reservoir was 99 per cent full, above average for this time of year.