Would you report somebody for using a hosepipe during a ban?

[BurntBroccoli]

Lots of people on FB saying they will continue using as much water as they please as they have “paid for it”.

Reservoir levels are at 55% capacity when normally it’s 89% and with much more hot weather to come, I’m worried that they will implement standpipes due to people being irresponsible.

Nope. I would fill paddling pool and water flowers without hesitation. I live in an area where the water company literally left water leaks for over a year ! Roads permanently trickling water for months on end .

Don't you think you are being rather selfish to prove a point?

Just because water companies are robbing us blind doesn't mean it's OK to use up what is currently a finite source.

Will you be happy when we are all on standpipes?

when are housing associations who leave leaks for months going to get fined

You don't need to water them with a hose.

And they recover as soon as it rains unless they are very sensitive plants (in which case, don't buy them).

Nobody needs to water a lawn.

Just because water companies are robbing us blind doesn't mean it's OK to use up what is currently a finite source.

All the more reason to remove it from private companies.

And I think we should really consider it a permanently finite resource. Hope no one is dim enough not to understand why.

All the more reason to remove it from private companies.

I totally agree. The water companies should never have been privatised.

And I think we should really consider it a permanently finite resource. Hope no one is dim enough not to understand why.

Sadly, several posters on this thread don't seem to understand.

Nah! Beware of the bite,in spite! It always finds a way to sting back. Your not your neighbours keeper. Leave it!

I don’t have a lawn, small garden and a patio, I grow Mediterranean plants herbs etc and beloved roses which I water they give me joy. Lots of birds a few trees and plenty of wildlife, they appreciate a bit of moisture.

This. They've been wanting to build two new reservoirs in southern England for years but have been fighting opposition and red tape.

I assume all those saying 'just build a new reservoir' would be happy to have to move because their home will be flooded in the process?

And yes, SerendipityJane, why aren't all the new builds that are going up everywhere fitted with grey water recycling as standard?

If, say, water from the roof and upstairs shower was collected to feed the downstairs toilet and outside tap, that would cost hardly anything and save a significant amount of water. Even better would be to use recycled water to feed upstairs toilets but that would require a pump so be more complicated and expensive I assume.

There is plenty of land that can offer itself to be made into a reservoir without the need of making people homeless. They’ve planned them already. They just haven’t managed to sort them out in over 30 years due to poor management and pure greed. We have the space. It’s the water companies that haven’t had the inclination.

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/news-media/news-articles/2024/new-8-5m-service-reservoir-project-underway-in-harton/#:~:text=Yorkshire%20Water%20is%20building%20a%20new%20£8.5m,the%20drinking%20water%20network%20in%20the%20area.

https://www.lincsreservoir.co.uk/proposals/our-latest-proposals/the-reservoir/our-emerging-design/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/29/first-new-reservoirs-in-england-for-more-that-30-years-given-go-ahead

“The other seven new reservoirs planned to be built by 2050 will be in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex, the West Midlands and two in Somerset. Work is already underway at a further site in Hampshire.”

One of them is being built. Planning permission for the new Havant Thicket Reservoir was granted in 2021 and construction started a few months ago, which hasn't involved destroying any houses as the reservoir is being built on land that was previously a mix of woodland and open space, with some agricultural land.

It would be tempting to suggest they live in areas without a ban.

And yes, SerendipityJane, why aren't all the new builds that are going up everywhere fitted with grey water recycling as standard?

Also why was I suggesting that 30 fucking years ago ?

A lot of low energy thinking in this thread. And presumably a lot of men, as talk about reservoirs seems to fixate on size.

No reason not to have lots of smaller reservoirs (you could call them lakes) around the country. They would be created as part of the process of water engineering that deals with flooding. This isn't even new technology. If you could read hieroglyphs (or Latin) then the information is all there.

What isn't there is the capital. The investment. The wonga. The mullah. You know, what our bills extract from us.

And now it's all falling apart and costing taxpayer money, the water companies are shocked and stunned. Who thought criminally underinvesting for two generations would cause such problems ?

This aerial image of Woodhead reservoir popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday and I can confirm it really is that empty because I went past it on Friday, and it is the lowest I have ever seen it.

There were a lot of comments from posters asking why it can't be dredged to increase capacity while there is no water there. I thought this would be a good idea. Is there any reason (apart from financial) why this couldn't be done?

@Thedevilhasfinallycaughtupwithhim @AngelicKaty

Building a reservoir on farmland still involves compulsory purchase of land.

That bite will also come back to those that think they are exempt from the ban too, especially when they have no water.

Really 😮 well I never!! They need land for reservoirs?? I had no idea 🙄

Farmers in part of East Anglia have been hit with an abstraction ban by the Environment Agency. This means they are not allowed to water their crops at all.

There are no hosepipe bans in place in the region because the water companies only bring them in when absolutely necessary as customers don’t like them and this impacts on their ratings.

So farmers in the affected areas cannot water their food crops thereby putting national food security in jeopardy, but they can water their roses in their gardens.

Why?

The EA has to look at river levels and make sure that they don’t get so low that there is a negative impact on the natural environment. Clearly the EA is worried about the lack of rainfall and has stepped in before too much damage is caused. However as we can see on this thread, even if the water companies were to impose a hosepipe ban in the affected areas, there are plenty of consumers who would actively choose to ignore it, thus contributing to the duration of the farmers’ abstraction ban.

Crops that receive insufficient water fail. They not only don’t grow to size, they are also susceptible to diseases which affect stressed plants. Failed crops mean lower yields, so supermarkets cannot buy crops from UK farmers under standing agreements, they need to source their supplies from elsewhere. Importing food costs money, particularly when the quantity is needed at short notice and the best prices haven’t been agreed in advance.

I know it’s fashionable to hate farmers, but unless you really enjoy paying more for imported onions than locally grown ones, consider what a mass crop failure in the region means for them and the local economy. Potential loss of jobs in the farming sector, redundancies in local transport and food processing as supermarkets use alternative supply lines for imported food.

Is this really what you want just so Arabella and Jayden can spend 10 minutes a day in the paddling pool before one of them wees in it and the whole thing has to be emptied and refilled?

Telegraph report: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/12/farmers-abstraction-ban-watering-crops-norfolk-heatwave/

Free version in the Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/Farmers-banned-watering-crops-Britain-heatwave-temperatures-hit-33C

I didn't say it didn't. I was replying to the PP's comment "I assume all those saying 'just build a new reservoir' would be happy to have to move because their home will be flooded in the process?"

If the water companies had built another reservoir or two in the last 30 or 40 years we may not be having quite this issue. Population is grown. They spent no money. I’m not keen to do their job for them unless it was someone really pissing me off using it for a very stupid reason.

So, you have no intention of trying to reduce your water use? Don't you see how short sighted that is? It could potentially affect a lot of people because all the water companies will do is increase restrictions of they have to.

Surely, it is in everyone's interest to be sensible with water?

Hopefully the little bit of rain we are having now will replenish the water in our water butts, from which we have been drawing water to feed our tomatoes.

According to this article from 2022 they rarely fine anyone if they are reported anyway.

Link is behind a paywall but here is a screenshot

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/no-one-has-ever-paid-fine-breaking-hosepipe-ban-admit-water/

We've a leak just up the road, been pouring out large amounts of water 24/7 for about 3 weeks, no sign of fixing, it has been reported, 2nd time its leaked.

South West Water (SWW) loses an average of 107 million liters of water per day due to leaks. This is down from 118 million liters per day the previous year, but higher than the 112 million liters lost in 2022/23. The leakage rate represents about 15.6% of the total water capacity supplied by the company

15% of their total capacity.... yet washing your car is the problem?

We’re refusing to be held responsible for the water companies’ poor management and greed.