First England Hosepipe Ban! AIBU to think that some people are really selfish?

[blackbirdbluebottle]

The first England hosepipe ban this year comes into force for United Utilities users from this Sunday. Despite this ban nearly all the comments on one post are saying if their kids want a swimming pool they will use the hosepipe to fill up the pool! AIBU to think that this is really selfish of people to fill up a swimming pool for their kids when the water will be wasted soon after the kids have used it?

Yes, very selfish - there are always those who think it's ok for them to be the exception.

Some people are just arseholes and hate being told no

Yes people are really selfish. How can your paddling pool or your lawn or your car be more important than saving water?

I'd happily shop anyone I saw using a hose pipe or sprinkler in this weather. £1000 fine isn't enough.

Swimming pool or paddling pool?

This happened in NI a couple of weeks ago, some people were posting the same on FB and one even saying he’d deliberately leave his hose on all weekend. I think most people realised how bad it was when one of our local reservoirs dried up and some parts of Belfast had v low water pressure

If my children want a pool in this weather then I will use my hosepipe to fill my pool!! i pay my water just like the rest of the country so i can use what i want!! If my children want water then no one can tell me no!

This was paraphrased slightly but this is the one comment I thought was awful. Apparently they can face up to £1000 fine and other punishments... I wonder if any of her neighbours dislike her and care to film her breaking the law...

I did fill a paddling pool a few weeks ago (won't do it again), but I used all of the water in it for watering my vegetables and flower pots. I carried it in buckets from the pool over several days.

I still felt guilty, but at least I did use the water, except for whatever evaporated.

Oh yes, very selfish, I mean it’s not as though UU have the worst record of leaks from all the water companies, losing an estimated 20 to 22% of all water through leaks and take weeks to fix anything, it’s not as though I pay over £70 a month for the privilege of UU supplying me with cloudy and undrinkable tap water, despite complaining constantly.

And it’s not as though last week UU sent water trucks to the local stand pipe, spent all day filling the trucks up and sent the water to other areas, nobody knows where but rumours were it went down south. But UU customers are selfish as the want to fill a kiddies paddling pool.

I don't need a ban to tell me not to water my lawn - it's just common sense. It's will grow back.

And as for washing cars, just use bath water. In fact we share bath water (unless really bad), then sometimes the dog gets dunked in too!

Very selfish. Same with watering the lawn. So unnecessary. However in the past, many years ago, and not with a ban, we always emptied our pool with watering cans and used that to water the plants. We haven't had rain now for 2 months and all my water butts are empty. No ban here yet, but I wouldn't dream of using the hose pipe. All my neighbours have brown lawns too, so perhaps people are starting to realise treated water is a precious resource.

I assume you mean paddling pool not swimming pool, quite a big difference in the water required!

I have a teeny tiny paddling pool that would be less than running a bath and when dc are in the pp I don't then bother with a bath so one substitutes the other. And then the water is used on the plants.

But filling one of those big massive ones would be pretty selfish during a hosepipe ban.

Tbh if a hosepipe ban comes in here I'd be seriously worried about my plants, there are hundreds of pounds worth that I'm not going to just watch die. I remember the hosepipe bans during the 80s my mum spending ages with dozens of watering cans on the garden!

I think there's definitely a difference in opinion between those who have lived through drought before, or some other dislocation to the water supply.

Because once your taps are dry, and you have to queue for a standpipe, then you won't be filling a paddling pool and you'll heartily wish that everyone had been a little more prudent a little earlier thus avoiding the whole damned fuss.

It's also a difference between those whinare community-minded and those who put the cult of the individual first

givemesteel
While I’m flushing the loo as little as possible and having very quick showers you’re watering plants ffs. Didn’t it occur to you to get a water butt?!!!

I have 3 huge water buts - they are all empty, even after that very wet winter.

I have to use drinking water to water the plants - not the lawn. Although i also take the washing up water out in the bowl and chuck it under the trees.

Presumably those who use the tap to fill a swimming pool are on a water meter? I hope so!

One of my neighbours washes his car EVERY DAY..no kidding! And his front downstairs windows.. It's disgusting..
Then when his car is off the drive he inflates a paddling type pool with thgn over head bit and fill it for his dd.. Which gets emptied every night ( don't know why they don't use back garden tho,)
I heard another neighbour mentioning it once and he was tokd to f off. He pays his water bill!
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My dad has a pool... A proper built in one.. The water has been in it years! As its treated. The level has dropped a little through use etc but he's told the kids it has to wait.. He also has let the fire brigade know it's there as he was told to do so, I'm guessing it's if there's a fire local?

I think it's selfish. But I'm sure those people would be the first to complain if they had to queue to get water from a standpipe.

I guess it depends on whether people are community minded and care about others or those who are "I'm Alright Jack" and put themselves first.

givemesteel you can fill watering cans direct from the tap. We're NW and have been using watering cans instead of hosepipe for weeks. Our water butts are all full after the rain yesterday which is helpful.

Lack of competition in the water sector means that unfortunately UU can behave how they like.

What I don’t get is why they are bringing it in 2 weeks down the line. Surely that will just mean More people get jobs done before it comes in!

What happens with garden centres and car washes?

I'm a little surprised given that astonishingly groundwater levels are exceptionally high still
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/723706/NorthEast_area_June2018.pdf

It does make me wonder what is going on with water management in that region. I see though that they are having to release water from Kielder and Tunstall to support river flow (and Salmon)

I'm wondering whether this means that long term forecasts for the summer are for more dry weather.

Wateroffaduck
Are you the person the OP’s talking about??

@mummyifluttledragon. Garden water butts have long since emptied! Do you realise how long it’s been since we had enough rain to fill butts?

United utilities admit themselves that they waste 25% of their own water due to leaking pipes and burst mains. We had an exceptionally wet spring yet they are asking you to save water. It’s disgusting that they waste more in one day than a Family could waste in a year of filling paddling pools. Instead of telling their customers not to waste a few gallons, maybe UU should be investing some of their millions into fixing the broken infrastructure.

Businesses that rely on water are exempt as they pay a lot more for their water supply.