Water Ban - What side are you on?

[heatwave2018]

The chance of a hosepipe ban is steadily increasing each hot day we have without rain. There seems to be two types of people.

One lot of people say we should be conserving water where needed ie showers instead of baths, only using a watering can or leaving the garden without water etc.

The other side I am seeing is people saying "I pay my water bills so I can use how much I want" ie filling up giant pools of water every few days, keeping the hosepipe on for a couple of hours to water the grass every night etc.

So what side are you on?

There is a lot going on with water in our area. First of all, I live in one of the two wettest counties in England. Over the last previous 4 years we have had 3 terrible floods. United utilities ( our water provider) offer very little help, despite their combined drains contributing to the flooding.

The government privatised our water, so now UU is owned by shareholders who consist of ? Possibly large businesses.
The CEO of UU Steve Mogford earns 2.9 million a year and last year made over a million pounds selling his shares,
They lose more in leaks than the amount we are required to save. They have been in court 203 times during the last three years for infringements, such as tipping raw sewerage into our rivers and have been fined hundreds of thousands of pounds. In my area we had to boil our water for weeks as we were threatened with a cryptosporidium outbreak.
Ofwat, the water regulator, has said that UU are more concerned about their share holders than their customers.
They are due to pay out quite a healthy dividend this year and provide the water for Fracking. Fracking was voted against by every Council in Lancashire and there is a fierce fight going in to try and prevent Fracking from beginning. The wishes of the Lancashire people were overruled.
So do I feel sympathetic towards UU in the situation they find themselves in? NO I don’t, because I think they have spent the enormous profits they make on their highly paid employees, and shareholders instead of investing in the infrastructure that would have prevented us from having a drought.
I feel it is a disgrace and Steve Mogford should resign.
UU are paying out 180 million to their shareholders this year.lol

I can remember 1976 when there were standpipes in some areas, so I am keen to avoid a repeat of that.

We have cut way back on our water consumption, despite the heavy rain which fell all day here yesterday.

Given that water is a finite resource just now, and our reservoirs are very low, I am in the "I'm not a dickhead" camp.

I don't water the lawn, I keep a washing up bowl under the kitchen tap and tip used water on to the garden, use water out of the water butt to water the garden, take showers, not baths and don't run the tap while brushing my teeth.

The "I pay for my water and will use what I like" people are thoughtless and selfish. If water levels become so low that it is rationed no amount of money will magic some more up.

Lonicera, the water company that I know are a reprehensible wasteful disgusting company. I have been involved with them and watching them for 20 years....you are naive.
Blame the customer is a excellent way to avoid responsibility.
Google your water company and find out how many times they have been in court, how many leaks haven’t they fixed in the requisite required days, how much it pays its senior staff and shareholders etc etc.
The UK population are being totally ripped off. I am in France and it’s 38 degrees...no hosepipe ban here.

I feel fully chastened. I know our water companies are corrupt and should never have been denationalised, but using water recklessly right now is not the answer either.

i have to use the type of bathing facility i have available. Which is a bath. i dont have a shower installed and i rent.

And given there are certain people on these boards who think that tenants should be grateful for what they have i wouldnt be as "entitled" as to ask for a shower to be installed.

a five minute power shower uses more water than a bath. keep it under three minutes.

The other side I am seeing is people saying "I pay my water bills so I can use how much I want"
I'm on this side although to be fair, there are no warnings of restrictions in my area plus I'm not going overboard.
We water the garden twice a day and give it a good going over because we spent a lot on our flowers! We also grow a lot of fruit and veg and we don't want it dying off because it'd be a waste.
I don't use any more or any less water than I did before and I certainly don't fill up any pools or have sprinklers in the garden going on for hours! My neighbour does this and his lawn is very green and lush but I won't do it because I think it's a waste of water. The grass will always bounce back

If the Water companies paid some more of our money into repairing pipes there would be no need for a water ban - no water shortage!

I'm happy to have showers daily (though if I really wanted a bath instead of a shower I would), and not put the hosepipe on - watering can is OK.
Not heard of any bans around where I live though. Keeping fingers crossed.

Steve Mogford and other CEO s of the major Water companies were told to attend Micheal Gove today. They were probably asked to explain how could a water ban be implemented in two of the wettest counties in England that has also suffered from severe flooding in 2015,16 and 17.
He may also been asked to explain how come he is paying out a 180 million pound dividend to UU shareholders when his customers are being given a hose pipe ban. They will not have their water bills reduced because of the lack of service and neither will his 2.9 million salary.
The UK public’s are being thoroughly and truly ‘ mugged’

Our water company has seen the long range forecast of a dry autum and has put in a hosepipe ban from Friday, the reservoirs are low.

meanwhile United Utilities have just cancelled their hosepipe ban. Someone isn't paying attention...

amused as always to note MN selective vision regarding their power showers. Bet no one picks up on that.

Our lawn us suspiciously green despite never being watered.

Actually, there seem to be conflicting reports as to whether or not the ban is cancelled. Which, given that it's been pissing it down for days, seems a tad ironic.

I noticed immediately that the hose pipe ban had been rescinded. ( Nothing to do with Steve Mogford and other heads of the water companies been called in to see Micheal Gove . Eh , ? )
I am in France with my family at the moment and we are involved in a serious heatwave here BUT there is no hosepipe ban because the French manage their water.
English people are far less political than French people. If the French water company tried a hose pipe ban here there would be uproar. In England the water company dictates to the customer. In France the customers dictate to the provider.
To those people on here who are meekly accepting what the water companies are telling them without realising how little of the water company’s profit actually goes into improving and managing our water supply.....I am saying ...in a way it’s your fault the service we get. If more people complained and were aware of the huge profits Water companies make. Profits that mainly don’t stay in England as all the water companies have been sold off and are owned by ‘ whoever’
I despair at the ignorance.
What a truly terrible idea it was to sell off our water, UU have been selling off land for building( Heyswood Resevoir Cheshire) they had plans there (2016) to build substantial houses, ( not affordable) when they bought the water asset, the land allocation around their facilities was generous. Imagine the profit if they sell some of it for building...and they imposed a hose pipe ban....
Wake up ......we are being mugged.

I posted this on another thread but i think it belongs here too.

e.g. take the heatwave I dont think many would cope with just standpipes now. Or stand for it.

a. because the water bill is one of the bills that many are going without food to pay for.

b. did Buckingham Palace have to have standpipes in 1976. I think people would at least question it now. The Royal Family arent as revered as they were back then and if we were to be truly all in it together.............

c. people tend to shower/bathe every day now rather than once a week. would employers be happy with their employees turning up without having showered. I know some colleugues wouldnt by the previous threads on the AIBU board.

d. hygiene/health and safety laws have changed/been brought in since the last century.

e. There are more hair and beauty salons and gyms now than there were in the 1970s and they need water to operate. So a water shortage would affect the economy much more now i would think.

Helena dove
Regarding flooding and water supply, people often refer back to how it was in the old days....and say why don’t we dredge etc.
Whatever the reason for more water usage, the fact is some of us had a huge increase in what we paid which was originally a negligible amount, to bills of £600 plus. In the old days we didn’t have to pay a Senior executive event £2.9 million a year or shareholders fat dividends.
Whatever way you look at it, selling our water off to a private company was a very bad idea and in my opinion almost a criminal act.
The British public are being ripped off.
The recent hosepipe ban is a indication of how poorly our water is managed.
UU our water supplier also sold off a resovoir for building ( not affordable housing) last year. They honestly suck! And so does a government that meekly let’s them do it.

toyoung did you watch tonights Dispatches? it was about the heatwave and featured the water companies including UU.

No I didn’t as I am in France ATM with my family. But i will watch it. There has been a ferocious heatwave here but no hosepipe ban.
Here is something for Mumsnetters to watch
www.watercache.com/blog/2011/10/must-see-water-documentaries-provide-insight-into-future-water-crisis
It is terrifying. Water will be sold to those who can pay not necessarily those who need it.

I have splinters in my arse.
We put in extra water butts reuse grey water when possible and have let the lawn go crispy as others say it will come back. Only flush toilets if we have to etc But to be fair we would do this anyway.
BUT fuck me the water companies are shameful, high salaries big bonuses little investment poor repairs (if any). Why should my garden and veg patch and greenhouse die because they are thieving charlatans. So I will continue to water my new trees, my veg, my dahlias my pots but I will have and share with DH shallow baths.

I am keeping the wildlife pond topped up with water that's been left outside, leaving lots of food and water out for the birds, a small plant dish of water for the butterflies and bees, having lots of drought tolerant plants and a wildflower meadow instead of grass which I wouldn't water anyway. Using mulch and water butt. Never owned a hosepipe. Saving water with quick showers, less flushing,
full dishwasher/washing machine, watering the hanging baskets with any leftover water eg from the dogs water dish, tap off for teeth cleaning is better for your teeth as you don't rinse the fluoride away.