Tip Email
FREE Weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
Tap water rights
Should restaurants provide free water if you ask?
Updated 23 December 2019
We've always said there's no shame in asking for a glass of tap water when out for a meal to keep the bill down. But while that's absolutely right, the rules are a bit more confusing than people think, so we've got a tap water Q&A.
Looking to save on household water costs? See Cut your water bills.
Tip Email
FREE Weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
-
![]()
Rinse and repeat the answer to the question above - though here it's much more likely pubs and clubs will serve alcohol, which is the trigger for having to give you free water (in order to help combat the effects of binge drinking).
Licensed cafes are rarer, so check before expecting free water to go with your latte.
-
![]()
Unfortunately, it's a bit of a grey area as to whether they can charge for service or filtering - there's nothing in the legislation which says definitively one way or the other if they can, but we've heard in the past of some sneaky restaurants that do.
The Consumer Council for Water, however, believes that free tap water means customers should not be charged anything at all. It says it's very rare to hear of a restaurant trying to charge, but if it does happen a customer should refuse to pay any specific charge for a glass of bog-standard tap water.
Have you been refused free tap water recently? Tell us about it in the Tap water rights thread.
-
Chances are, your waiter/waitress might not be clued up on Paragraph 2 of the Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2014, but the manager should be. So, if you're refused free tap water, ask to speak to them.
If the manager refuses, you can contact the licensing department at your local authority (check the 'contact us' section of its website), which should then investigate.
![]()
The maximum penalties for breaching a licence condition in England and Wales are six months in prison and/or a fine of up to £20,000, but it's more likely to prompt a review by the licensing authority, which could result in revocation of the licence to sell alcohol.
The penalties for non-compliance in Scotland aren't quite as strict. The establishment's licence can be either revoked, suspended, or varied following a breach.
-
![]()
This depends on the country you're travelling to. Many serious illnesses are caused by contaminated water, so it's essential you check the purity of the water in your destination before drinking it. Travel guides should have a section on this.
Generally, European countries will have similar water purity to the UK - however, the culture is often completely different. In Germany, for example, restaurants can charge whatever they like for tap water. The German paper Focus even published a "dos and don'ts" warning tourists never to ask for tap water, as it feels that's akin to asking for free food in a restaurant!
For general advice on how to stay happy and healthy abroad, check out our 60+ Overseas Travel Tips or the NHS Choices website. For more in-depth information on the various health risks in each country, including an important warning about fake bottled water (always check seals are intact), see the National Travel Health Network & Centre (NATHNAC).
More questions? Please share your stories and suggest any other questions you'd like answered in the Tap Water Rights forum thread.
![illustration]()
-
Of course, some may argue there's a difference in taste - and that's really down to personal choice. But when it comes to cost, tap water compared to bottled water does really rather well...
![]()
100 litres of tap water costs less than one litre of bottled water. When we crunched the numbers, we found pouring 100 litres of tap water in Manchester in one day would cost you just under 18p for the lot, yet if you bought the same amount of Evian it'd be just over £40.
![]()
Tap water is more environmentally friendly. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee found that sending plastic bottles to landfill or incinerating them produces approximately 233,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions a year.
![]()
Tap water meets health regulations. Bottled water's often cited as being purer. However, the principal inspector from the Drinking Water Inspectorate told us:
Both tap water and bottled water are required to meet specific regulations which are in place to ensure both are safe to drink.
Tip Email
FREE Weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
-
Samsung unveils new Galaxy S21 range – how to find the cheapest deals
15 January 2021![]()
Samsung has launched three new handsets for 2021: the Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. But they're certainly not MoneySaving, with the most expensive – the S21 Ultra 5G – costing up to £1,329. -
Small businesses to get coronavirus insurance payouts after landmark Supreme Court ruling
15 January 2021![]()
The ruling follows a test case brought last year -
Martin Lewis: How to save thousands cutting energy, TV, broadband, phone and council tax bills
15 January 2021![]()
Households could save thousands cutting their energy, TV, broadband, phone and council tax bills, according to MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis. Below he takes you through how -
Former Utility Point customers struggling to get credit refunds
15 January 2021![]()
Former Utility Point customers have been struggling to get back credit worth £100s from the supplier, often months after switching away from it
-
Martin Lewis VIDEO: Should you pay off your Plan 1 student loan?
11 January 2021![]()
If you started university between 1998 and 2012, or since then in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you'll have a Plan 1 student loan. While much is written about whether those with savings should overpay the current English Plan 2 student loans, there's little out there about Plan 1. I wanted to change that, so here's a video explaining how to decide... -
Martin Lewis: Payment holidays coming to an end – but should you take one? Mortgages, credit cards, loans, payday loans, car finance and more
5 January 2021![]()
Within the last week, we've seen the extension of coronavirus credit card, personal loan and overdraft help to 31 October 2020, with mortgage payment holidays already extended. The regulator's other help schemes are also likely to be extended too, including car finance and payday loans, yet should you do it?
-
LAST OOOOORDERS! The deadlines for free and cheap delivery before Christmas are FAST approaching
15 December 2020![]()
If you’re shopping online for gifts, the deadline for ordering to get ’em in time for Christmas may be sooner than you think. Get it wrong and instead of presents under the tree, they could be held hostage at a courier firm’s out-of-town depot… To help avoid this, retailers now give their own final cut-off dates for orders you want...
MSE Tools & Calculators
Clever ways to calculate your finances
