Neighbour demanded proof of our hosepipe ban exemption

[HoseBan]

My NDN has just demanded to see proof that we are exempt from the local hose pipe ban !!!!

I have said to them I won’t be showing them anything as it’s private but they can report me if I want and the water company can check.

We literally have just been filling a small paddling pool daily for the dc for after school and today have a little sprinkler toy as it’s boiling.

I know some people aren’t aware that there are exemptions (eg being on priority services register or certain tariff) but I’m so shocked they demanded proof !!!

That would be relevant if OP was with Anglian Water.

But OP has said she is with South East Water.

Someone said the soontobe60 proved it ,and she posted Angliann

Anyway here's South East st Water

"The restrictions mean that you should not use hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, patios and boats and for filling swimming and paddling pools."
Restricted:

Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use (such as hot tubs of all kinds and inflatable paddling pools).

And again Priority services registered are exempt....

https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/about/updates/tubs-26/

So Yesz, NYONE CAN FILL A PADDLING POOL WITH A BUCKET. It literally says to not do these things with a hosepipe....

The exemption are exemptions, and besides, anyone can have a daily paddling pool...
As long as they don't use a hose to fill it 🤷

The reservoirs of South east water are not low. They're comparable to the Welsh reservoirs. So let's face that fact.

They have trouble getting the water to homes because the infrastructure is decrepit. The shareholders want their dividends. BUT there is no shortage of water just the will to repair/replace.

South east water have £1.3 billion worth of debt. They're in a mess. Expect a change because new investment will come from abroad. The bills will rise steeply. It's inevitable.

"South East Water fined £22.5m for ‘repeated supply failures’ in Kent and Sussex | Water industry | The Guardian" https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/05/south-east-water-fined-repeated-supply-failures-kent-sussex

@justasking111 so they are trying to ensure everyone can have water by limiting demand, with a hosepipe ban. If everyone was watering their gardens with hosepipes demand would be too high and infrastructure can’t cope and I assume some people would end up with very little water coming out of the tap.

So in our area where some places must have worse infrastructure or more populated our water board have asked people in those places to restrict their water use to essential only, so not a hosepipe ban, but pretty much saying no water for the garden (unless recycled grey water)

get a pool you can put a filter on and use chlorine tablets, so you don’t have to fill it daily. We fill our pool once and it lasts the whole summer.

Not everyone can have a meter, we can't.

The only sensible course of action is either to sell it or the government to nationalise it. It needs huge investment especially with the pace of housebuilding and population in that area.

@justasking111 I’m not arguing with that. My water company is a shitshow, literally! But we are talking about what can happen now whilst the weather is so hot and demand is high. Even if nationalised tomorrow updating the infrastructure is going to take years.

I can understand how your neighbours are feeling and why they would say that

I believe we were registered for priority because we are old. I am fairly sure this is only for essential things. When we had an email to say there was going to be a hosepipe ban we put the grandchildren’s paddling pool away.

@Ponoka7I live in North Yorkshire and it most certainly hasn’t rained here!

as i have said, it depends on your water provider.

No, they're to mitigate for the hundreds of miles of leaking pipes, lack of investment into the infrastructure and creaming off of profits, that has been going on since privatisation. Oh, and the costs of fighting the court cases, when they are caught pumping raw sewage into the rivers.

I have a blue badge for chronic arthritis snd Im pretty darned sure it doesnt cover paddling pools and kids fun.
I dont actually use the hose. I have hardy plants but Im not sure you'd have a leg to stand on if ghey decided to take photos and report you
Being disabled doesnt mean you can take the piss.

But no one can use a sprinkler toy. Which is where your argument falls down

It did across Merseyside. But two weeks without rain shouldn't mean hosepipe bans. Before the heatwave, we had torrential downpours. We've got to ask ourselves why we accepting such crap services, while paying more and more for them.

She's exempt from the hosepipe ban.....

@JohnnieFedora doesn’t mean she should be using a sprinkler toy, all because you can doesn’t mean you do

Exactly. It's gaslighting when the reservoirs are at 89% full. People should be bloody enraged, their paying for a service they're not receiving while a select few on the board are laughing all the way to the bank .

But why are your plants more important than the OP’s children’s needs? Gardens and flower tubs are no more essential.

People aren’t happy with the water companies but at the immediate time can also understand that if the current crap infrastructure can’t cope with the current demand they have to change some of their actions to ensure everyone still has a reasonable water supply. It doesn’t have to be an either/or you can hate them but still comply with their request. If everyone refuses to comply, you might end up with extreme of standing pipes and then you’d hate them even more!

We have three water butts, are considering squeezing another one in but it's still not enough this year.

I went to Bermuda, a roof is designed to catch water which goes into an underground tank.

We really need to look at this. For new builds. I'd rather spend the money on that because heat pumps aren't suitable for so many properties.

Years ago we had a house with a few acres. Awful WiFi in the village so we approached the guys who put in the masts to put it in our top field. Yes they said but you'll have to pay for it. We didn't have that kind of money.

Next we thought wind vane in the top field power for the village. Yes they said but you'll have to pay for it. Again we didn't have that kind of money.

No-one really cares.

Including those of us in flats with no gardens Next time i see someone call those of us in SH entitled im going to point them to this