-
![Coronavirus Life-in-Lockdown Help]()
Coronavirus Life-in-Lockdown Help
14 June 2021
![Coronavirus Travel Rights]()
Coronavirus Travel Rights
14 June 2021
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
-
Lockdown easing in England delayed by four weeks - your refund rights for group holidays, events and more
14 June 2021![]()
The easing of most lockdown rules in England has been delayed until 19 July amid concern about rising coronavirus cases, though limits on guest numbers at weddings will be lifted on 21 June. We've the latest below on the lockdown rules, plus your rights to a refund for holidays and events which may be cancelled in the wake of today's announcement. -
What are your rights to a refund if you need to cancel or change a wedding?
14 June 2021![]()
Including can you reschedule, what do insurers cover and will you get a refund? -
Coronavirus Life-in-Lockdown Help
14 June 2021![]()
The Prime Minister has unveiled sweeping restrictions on public movement to tackle the spread of coronavirus. This has had a huge impact on daily life, affecting everything from weddings and train travel to music events and sport. To help, we're working flat out to answer your questions on these topics and more -
Coronavirus Travel Rights
14 June 2021![]()
The coronavirus outbreak is causing major travel disruption around the globe -
Martin Lewis tells ministers it's time to stop hiding the student living loan parental contribution - parents should be told they may be expected to pay £1,000s
12 June 2021![]()
While tuition fees get all the column inches, the biggest practical problem most students face is hidden. The living loan and/ or grant students receive is slashed based on parental income but there's no warning this gap needs filling. Today, MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis has written to ministers to urge them to stop hiding the university parental contributions built into the student finance system.
-
Martin Lewis: Why you shouldn't worry too much about your credit score – it’s not actually a real thing
14 June 2021![]()
When it comes to finances, numbers are key – whether it's what you earn, your credit card balance or the interest rate on your mortgage, small changes can add up to a big difference. Yet there's one number you shouldn't pay too much attention to – your credit score. -
Martin Lewis VIDEO: Should you pay off your Plan 1 student loan?
18 May 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...
MSE Tools & Calculators
Clever ways to calculate your finances
