Hosepipe Ban

We have water butts in our garden, but I have a semi-disability (with pain) and cannot cope with carrying buckets or cans across the garden. Has anyone manufactured a hosepipe & spray gun that can be easily fitted to the tap of the water butt? It must be very easy to fit, as I have very little grip.

Hi Sally, thanks for your question.

There are several ways to do this:

1. Attach an adapter to the tap of your water butt and then attach a standard hosepipe with spray gun to that adapter. The problem with this method is that I believe you might not have the sort of pressure required to spary the water out. Therefore you would need to add a pump between the water butt tap and your spray gun. These pumps are readily available.

2. This method works on the same principles as the first but I believe is more flexible/easier, especially if you have multiple butts. There’s at least one pump available that you simply attach a standard hose and spray gun to and then drop that in the top of your water butt and let it fall to the bottom. I assume they’re battery powered and I guess you simply switch them on and off as required. [Edit: I found out they are actually mains powered]

You can do some Googling to try to find such products. Try typing “water butt accessories” in Google - there are lots of companies selling products like these now. [Edit: Also try Googling "hozelock water butt pump" or simply "water butt pump"]

We’d be interested to know how you get on.

I have heard there is to be a hosepipe ban on allotments this year. Can you clarify this please. Our allotments are in Cheshire. Thank you

I run a Hot Tub hire business will I be affected by a hose pipe ban, I use a hose pipe to fill the tubs.

I use my hosepipe to get water to the field so the horses can drink. Can i still do this if there is the ban? How else could i get gallons of water to the field full of horses everyday!

I have a stream running through my garden could I us a pump to take water to irrigate the garden?

Hi,
The description of a hosepipe ban on the UU website says that it “includes lawns, flowerbeds and ornamental gardens”.

I never water my borders or lawn but use a hose with multi-sprinkler trigger gun in “rose” mode to water my baskets and patio pots. The action is precise and efficient.

The watering can not so, particularly at high level.

Given that they’ve not defined ‘ornamental garden’ sufficiently enough then I bet you can guess what my intentions are!

It’s just an absolute nonsense.

The downspout and grid that takes away the waste rainwater from my gutters has blocked with winter leaves and detriuos, usually I give it a blast with a pressure washer, but can I still do this with the ban in place?

One bit of information that keeps being ommited on sites like this and in the media is the fact that

REGISTERED DISABLED AND BLUE BADGE HOLDERS ARE TOTALLY EXEMPT FROM THE BAN.

If you wish to see confirmation of this check out United Utilities website about the ban at http://www.unitedutilities.com/Hosepipeban.aspx