Priority Services Register and Blue Badge exemptions
There is no national vulnerable-customer exemption: each company decides its own concessions. Some current notices exempt Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers automatically; others do not mention them. This page shows what each company with a live ban actually publishes.
The honest summary
A concession for Blue Badge holders or Priority Services Register customers exists only where a company writes it into its notice. Where a company’s published concessions do not mention one, the safe assumption is that the ban applies and you should ask the company directly; a wrong assumption here is what the £1,000 maximum fine attaches to.
Separately from bans, joining your company’s Priority Services Register is free and worth doing for anyone who depends on their water supply: it brings advance notice of interruptions, alternative supplies during incidents, and accessible communication.
What each company allows
The statutory list is the floor. Each company publishes its own concessions on top, and they differ, so this table is driven by each company’s published exemptions rather than a single national answer.
| Company (ban in force) | Blue Badge / Priority Services concession |
|---|---|
| Essex & Suffolk Water | Blue badge holders and customers on the Priority Services Register |
| South East Water | Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers |
| Thames Water | Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers |
| Anglian Water | Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers |
| Southern Water | Priority Services Register customers with medical needs |
| Affinity Water | Blue Badge and Priority Services Register customers, automatic under Annex 2. WaterSure tariff customers |
| Cambridge Water | Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers |
| South West Water | Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers |
| Welsh Water | Blue Badge holders and Priority Services Register customers |
| Wessex Water | Customers on the Priority Services Register |
| Bristol Water | Not stated in the concessions we have verified. Check Bristol Water’s own notice before relying on an exemption. |
Common questions
Is there a national Blue Badge exemption?
No. There is no national exemption in the legislation. Several companies choose to exempt Blue Badge holders in their own notices, and several current notices do, but it is each company's concession, not a right. Check your own supplier's notice.
What is the Priority Services Register?
A free register each water company keeps of customers who need extra support: medical dependence on water, mobility issues, age, sight or hearing loss and similar. Registering is worthwhile in its own right; during a ban, some companies also attach hosepipe concessions to it.
How do I join the register?
Directly with your water company, online or by phone, for free. If you are eligible with your energy supplier you are usually eligible with your water company too. It travels with the company, not the property, so re-register if you switch address into a different supply area.
I care for someone who depends on water. Are they exempt?
Possibly, but do not assume it. Most notices exempt uses necessary for health and safety, and several exempt Priority Services Register customers explicitly. Confirm against your own company's notice, and register them for priority services regardless.
Temporary Use Bans are made under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991, which lists the eleven prohibited uses at s.76(2). The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (SI 2010/2231) defines them.We are an independent tracker, not a water company or a regulator; your supplier’s own notice is the version that legally applies to you.