Yorkshire Water Boil Water Notice: What It Means for Your Household
What happened
Yorkshire Water issued a boil water notice covering 133 properties around Buckden, Oughtershaw and Hubberholme in Upper Wharfedale from 10 August 2026, after it said “routine sampling of our drinking water at our Starbotton service reservoir has shown it doesn't meet our usual standards,” according to the company's own statement reported by the Yorkshire Post on 11 August 2026. Yorkshire Water said it was “continuing our investigations to determine the source of the bacteria.”
Who is affected
The notice applies to around 133 properties in the postcodes BD23 5JR, BD23 5JE, BD23 5JA, BD23 5JU, BD23 5JX, BD23 5JS, BD23 5HY and BD23 5HZ, covering Buckden, Oughtershaw and Hubberholme in the Yorkshire Dales, per Yorkshire Water's statement as reported by the Yorkshire Post, 11 August 2026.
What you can and can't do
Yorkshire Water told affected households to boil tap water before drinking it, brushing teeth, or using it to prepare food that won't be cooked, such as salad. Bottled water has been delivered to customers on Yorkshire Water's Priority Services Register, and other affected customers were told to contact Yorkshire Water directly if they need bottled water support, per the Yorkshire Post's 11 August 2026 report of the company's statement.
How long it's expected to last
As of Yorkshire Water's statement reported on 11 August 2026, the company had not given a date for when the notice would be lifted, saying only that it was “working hard to get things back to normal as quickly as possible” and pointing residents to its own incident webpage for updates. WaterReady has not found a later, dated statement from Yorkshire Water confirming whether this notice has since been lifted, so readers should check Yorkshire Water's own website for the current status before relying on the details in this post.
Compensation
No compensation has been announced by Yorkshire Water for this notice in the sources checked for this post. The Drinking Water Inspectorate's own guidance on receiving a boil water notice does not describe any compensation or redress entitlement for this type of notice — unlike a full supply interruption, a boil water notice means supply continues, just with an extra step before drinking it, so it is not covered by the industry's Guaranteed Standards Scheme in the way a loss of supply is. Residents who believe they are owed something should contact Yorkshire Water directly.
Worth having in if your water isn’t safe to drink
Not sure how much water you'd need if this happened to you?
Use our free calculator to work out exactly how many litres your household should have on hand, based on who's in it and how many days you'd want to cover.
Use the emergency water calculator →Get the Boil Water Notice Pack
What to boil, how to boil it safely, what's still fine to do, advice for babies and pets, a day-one checklist and a BOIL WATER sign for your kitchen. Every point sourced from the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Consumer Council for Water and NHS.
Get the pack for £1.99 →Preparing generally, not just for this incident
Whatever your own supplier and circumstances, the same basics apply: knowing how much to store, how to store it safely, and what to do if your supply is ever cut off.
Read our full guide to water supply interruptions →- Yorkshire Water, quoted by Yorkshire Post — 'Yorkshire Water gives Dales villages ‘boil notice’ after bacteria issue at reservoir', 11 August 2026
- Drinking Water Inspectorate — 'Receiving a boil water notice'
Minimum requirements for all
x140 Kirkland Water (500ml)
Drinking
Purpose: cover your minimum drinking-water gap without a large storage footprint. 140 x 500ml bottles of natural spring water.
Inpress Plastics 5L Water Container
Drinking
Purpose: efficient storage for larger gaps with limited cupboard space. Empty, refillable 5L container, food-quality polyethylene, rectangular shape for efficient stacking.
x10 Vira Safe Hand Sanitiser (500ml)
Hygiene
Purpose: basic hygiene cover when water is limited, per government guidance. 70% alcohol, UK-made, contains Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.