The Hose Pipe Ban In Southern England

[Lufbramatt]

Lots of people on here use hosepipe to fill their tanks so I'm suprized this hasn't been covered before.

The good news is, if you have fish in a tank or a pond, you're still allowed to top it up with a hosepipe. The issue comes when you're filling a new pond as technically it hasn't got any livestock in it yet. So as long as you already have fish, it is the law that you can still use a hosepipe as it is part of providing a suitable environment for the livestock to live in.

Filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe

This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum
10.—(1) The category of use in section 76(2)(g) of the Act does not include filling or maintaining a domestic pond in which fish or other aquatic animals are being reared or kept in captivity.

 

[Steve H.]

What's up with that?

I'm guessing hosepipe(UK), and a hose(US) are the same thing.

 

[Lufbramatt]

In the UK we have had very little rain over the winter. Population density in the UK is much higher than the US, so if we're not careful we will run out of water from reserviors over the summer. The water companies put restrictions on water use, at the moment they're at level 3 which means we're not allowed to use hosepipes to water gardens, run sprinklers, wash cars, driveways etc. Helps limit the amount of water used. If reported and proven that you were using a hose you can get in trouble with the police. Some things are still allowed though, such as looking after livestock, registered disabled people that can't carry a watering can can still use a hose etc.

 

[ian]

The Irony is that it's rained everyday since the hosepipe ban came into place.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Yup it's the same thing. It cracks me up because one of the great British pastimes is moaning about the weather yet you go a week without rain and they quickly slap a hosepipe ban on lol

 

[ian]

^^^true, we even moan when it's to warm.


Anglian water (my water company) have even turned the water pressures down to put us off using hosepipes!

 

[This Younger Spouse]

The Irony is that it's rained everyday since the hosepipe ban came into place.

Must be the British equivalent of washing the car.

 

[Steve H.]

Ahh. That makes sense. More sense than what I was thinking, and that was the actual physical hose was banned.

We have that here too. We call it a watering ban though.

I've never seen a full ban, but in my neighborhood they use house numbers to control water use.
Odd number houses on the odd dates, and even numbers can water on the even days.

 

[smokeyjo]

Yeah same thing steve. England believe it or not are in a drought luckily wales has too much rain for that lol

 

[Lufbramatt]

Ahh. That makes sense. More sense than what I was thinking, and that was the actual physical hose was banned.

We have that here too. We call it a watering ban though.

I've never seen a full ban, but in my neighborhood they use house numbers to control water use.
Odd number houses on the odd dates, and even numbers can water on the even days.

hehehe funny image in my head of the police going door to door with a van and search warrants demanding residents hand over their contraband hosepipes!

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Yeah same thing steve. England believe it or not are in a drought luckily wales has too much rain for that lol

Pfft not up here in the "great north" - haven't see the sun in days! (I've only been in the UK 5 years and I've become an excellent weather moaner)

 

[JL94x4]

Argos in Sheffield are not legally allowed to sell Hose Pipes in a hose pipe ban, so im not sure if that goes for every other retailer.

 

[ian]

^^^that's shocking!

“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”
― Frank Zappa

 

[OldMan47]

Steve H: yes what we call a hose is called a hosepipe in the UK. So much for translating english into english. Yep I know that should not be necessary.

I can't say what your local regulations are Lufbramatt. I have not gone through a recent drought here in the US where similar restrictions might apply. I use a simple hose, what you would call a hosepipe, for all of my tank fills and water changes. I find it easy as can be to use such an arrangement. If your limit is water volume, you might try using individual buckets for things like water changes. Buckets are a bit harder to use but will conserve a bit of water too. Even easier is to use rain water for water makeup or changes. I divert some rain water from my roof drain system. It is almost always better quality than water from the faucet and it is not metered by the water supply authority. I don't know if this is any help but thought I should at least provide the information.

 

[Steve H.]

Thanks OM.
I did pick up on the fact that a hosepipe was a hose and because of that I just could not, for some reason, wrap my head around the term "hosepipe ban".
I took it quite literally at first read, and had to know "why in the heck are they banning hoses in the UK?"