There are many good reasons to avoid using mains water, but in some cases it’s unavoidable. If you’re using mains supply, please do check out our pages on watering wisely – to help use water efficiently and effectively. As well as watering in community areas and schools, we might need to ask local residents to help out by, for example, watering trees in their verges or nearby green spaces. It’s helpful to understand the costs involved, and regulations around hosepipe bans. Links for further information are at the end of this section.

The cost of mains water:

Most of East Sussex has its water supplied by South East Water. However, just to make things more complicated, waste water (sewerage) is provided by Southern Water, although you’ll be billed for both together. If you’re outside East Sussex and want to check your suppliers you can do so via the postcode checker at the end of this section. Most properties these days have water meters. However, your bill includes a standing charge, which is the same irrespective of how much water you use.

For domestic properties, South East Water charges £1.958 per cubic metre (2024/5 rate). So the cost of the water in an average (10 litre) watering can is about 2p. If you’re asking residents to help with watering this is often a reassuring low figure! Running a hosepipe at a normal pressure would equal 10-15 litres per minute. So leaving a hosepipe on for half an hour could cost between 59p and 88p.

A micro irrigation system could be a more effective way of watering if you’re using mains water. If you’re interested in this, please do let us know as we’ll look into adding information about irrigations systems if it’s useful.

Hosepipe bans:

We’ve had hosepipe bans several times over the past few years, and they’re likely to get more frequent. However, these are not blanket bans, and the water companies do have some discretion. (We actually persuaded them to change an inconsistency in their rules after a certain amount of badgering!) If your crops, plants, trees or pond is reliant on using a hosepipe, then it’s worth checking the regulations and contacting South East Water directly if you’re unsure. Each year that a ban is enforced, the rules may change, so please check directly. However, last time there were certain exceptions including: unavoidable health and safety hazards; when the hosepipe is connected to a water storage system; certain types of irrigation systems; watering trees, whips, saplings and hedging plants planted before the ban, in the last planting year; food crops; filling ponds where this is for the welfare of fish or other aquatic animals.

Vulnerable customers may also be able to join the South East Water priority services register. This means they will be except from a hosepipe ban if needed, as well as other additional support measures.

Links