Thursday, July 08, 2010
A hosepipe ban always seems to cause confusion, so exactly what can you do when a ban is imposed? A recent press release from Hozelock had some useful tips I though I should pass on.........
Even under a hosepipe ban there are still lots of permitted hosepipe uses. Of course, you aren’t allowed to water the garden with one, or to wash the car but here are just a few of the things you can do:
• use a hose or pressure washer to clean paths, patios, boats, windows, garden furniture, barbecues and
much else which is neither private garden nor private car
• use a hose to fill ponds, paddling pools, swimming pools and other containers
• use a hose to wash down pets, horses – or with a spray head to take showers outdoors
• use a hose with a backflow prevention valve to fill livestock drinking troughs
• use a hose to put out a fire
• use a hose to mix cement or for any other DIY job
• use a hose for childrens’ play
So why is it possible to fill a swimming pool but not to water the vegetables that put food on the dinner table?
Well, don’t blame it on the water companies. They can only enforce the law – which dates back almost half a century to a time when pressure washers and much else hadn’t been invented. However, no water supplier should be giving the false impression that all hosepipe uses are prohibited.
The good news is that new legislation was passed in April this year to bring hosepipe bans up to date. It’s the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and instead of offering just two prohibition options, it lists a number of sensible restrictions that a water company can impose – although it is not obliged to impose any of them
Hozelock has created a hose ban information page on its website at
www.hozelock.com/water-restrictions.html and will update it as the situation changes, and I'd recommend you take a look at it.
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Among its suggestions for gardeners looking to consume less water is the Waterwise-approved Aquapod ready-to-use drip irrigation system used with a tap timer to ensure that the water turns on and off punctually.
Hozeloack also suggests you fit an Aqua Stop connector to the end of your hose so that the water supply cuts out as soon as a watering device is disconnected. No-one should be using an open hose, they say. Fitting a multispray gun to the hose ensures that water only flows when the trigger is held down.
....all useful advice, and a lot clearer than the usual local authority speak too!
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