CHAT ROOM

I have been doing a little digging and the provision of FREE tap water is not a legal requirement.

It is something that has become truth from repetition and mass assumption. In a similiar way that everyone says "If something is incorrectly priced in a shop that they HAVE to sell you it at that price", they don't, yet ask any shop assistant and they will think you do. However once the mistake has been pointed out the shop has a legal obligation to price it correctly or remove it from the shelves.

Equally, there is no automatic provision of water requirement in the licensing act.

It is at the discretion of the license issuing council to include within the license any stipulations it may see fit for an individual premise.

One such stipulation may be that cold water taps in bathrooms are not stopped from working which was the practice criticised during the rave party period as leading to overheating and excessive dehydration. This stipulation would normally only be included on licenses for night club venues that operate to the early hours.

Another stipulation that might be included but not as often as you think is that drinking water must be available on request, however that does not mean FREE or even necessarily tap. Even if a venue supplies you tap water they are perfectly entitled to charge for it, considered a service charge, for getting it for you and/or supplying a glass to drink from.

So fundamentally a mass misconception has led to the belief people are entitled to FREE water and many bar staff and venue owners supply it as they have the same misconception and have not checked of it is true.

So to sum up
1) No automatic requirement to provide water
2) You need to check an individual venues license for any specific requirement to supply water
3) If tap water is provided, it can be charged for.

Lets be honest in this day and age of metered water supply when you think about it, it's only logical that venues are entitled to charge you for water because they have to pay for it themselves.