What your water company must do
Ofwat says that if the piped supply fails, companies must provide at least 10 litres of water per person per day to affected customers within the first 24 hours, and maintain this until the supply is restored. They may use bottled water, bowsers or standpipes. They should tell you where to get water, when supply will return and who to call. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, check Scottish Water or NI Water.
Storing water
Be Ready advises 3 litres per person per day for drinking, for three days, with more for cooking and washing. Use the water calculator to work out your household’s amount. For pets, ask your vet how much they need.
Making it last
- Keep bottled water for drinking, food and handwashing.
- Use other water for flushing.
- Do not drink collected rainwater.
- Babies: ready-to-feed formula is best, as you may not be able to boil water to make up powdered formula. Follow NHS guidance.
To be added
- Hygiene and sanitation when toilets cannot be flushed, from official public health sources.
Kit for this guide
Water storage. All research-based.
- Bottled drinking water Research-based
- Clean containers for collecting water Research-based
- Hand sanitiser and wet wipes Research-based
Official sources we used
- Supply interruptions (Ofwat)
- Water supply interruptions or outages (UK Government, Be Ready)
- Be ready for emergencies, including the Be Ready checklist (UK Government, Be Ready)
- Priority Services Register (Energy Networks Association and water companies)
- Making up baby formula (NHS)
This is a first draft. It is built from the official sources listed above, but we have not finished reviewing it. If anything here differs from official advice, follow the official source.