Hosepipe Ban

The Severn Trent water company has warned that water restrictions are under review, following the second driest spring since records began. The GMB union has been told that a hosepipe ban was likely in two weeks, though Severn Trent have not confirmed this. The company has 8 million customers and covers...

So at last we have an updating of the hosepipe ban laws that were first written in 1945. Perhaps a forward-thinking government would have had them in place in the spring of 2006 (or even 2004) when we really needed them rather than the Autumn of 2007 when they will only mean anything in the Spring of...

The government has confirmed that the current hosepipe ban rules created in 1945 are to be updated. This is the full statement issued by the Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) this morning: A 62 year old law governing the use of hosepipes in times of drought will be updated following...

Following a very warm and dry April the downpours of May have been welcomed for keeping up levels of stored water. Experts are therefore predicting that 2007 will be completely hosepipe ban free. Great news.

Environment Minister Lord Rooker cheered up the House of Lords yesterday when he informed the Noble Lords that the winter had produced “the right kind of rain”, adding that “it filled the aquifers and the reservoirs”. It was he said the wettest winter on record since 1914 and...

The Environment Agency, water companies and various organisations all say that we shouldn’t see any water restrictions in 2007. Their language on this topic varies – “There’s a very small chance”, “…extremely unlikely”, “…risk of widespread...

Thames Water’s PR machine has been working overtime again trying to encourage their customers to continue saving water. Their website has published details of how to have a “water-wise Easter” (how many marketing people did it take to dream that one up?). They also state that a hosepipe...

One year on from the imposition of hosepipe bans across most of south east England, the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) has welcomed Government reforms to update the 62-year-old legislation on hosepipe bans. The clearer rules have met consumer demand for better information, one of the findings of...

Defra and the Government have today announced proposals for modernising the hosepipe ban, to update the 62 year old legislation surrounding it. These are just proposals – not law yet – and will now be open to consultation before going through Parliament. Modernisation of hosepipe ban rules...

Mid Kent Water has become the final water company to lift its hosepipe ban following months of above average rainfall and a rise in the region’s underground water levels. The underground aquifers are said to be crucial to Mid Kent Water as they get almost 90% of their water from them. Managing...