Would you grass on a neighbour for breaking a hosepipe ban?
A survey of nearly 6,000 UK residents has found that nearly one in five people in Wales would tell tales on their neighbours for using a hosepipe during the temporary usage bans, while the remaining 80% say they would look the other way.
The survey, published in Country Living magazine was carried out by Clearitwaste and found that Welsh householders rated third most likely in the UK to tip off the authorities to a breach of the ban.
Top of the list, with nearly a third of residents having no qualms about dobbing in their neighbour was Scotland, closely followed by those living in the South West, while of the respondents from London only around 6% said they would do something about their objections.
Dŵr Cymru has announced it will impose a temporary usage ban, or hosepipe ban, in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire from 19 August to protect waterways after months of below average rainfall.
Earlier this month The Met Office revealed that Wales had the driest July since 2006, with only half of the normal rainfall expected for that month.
The company is the among several companies this year to ask customers to limit water consumption as a result of the dry weather but says that while it advises its customers to be mindful about wasting water, a spokesperson said: “Water resources across the majority of Wales are in a reasonably good position”.
Huge fine
The water company explained that reservoirs in the Pembrokeshire area are approaching drought levels, making the ban in Pembrokeshire and parts of Carmarthenshire necessary to ensure that water supplies can be maintained through the summer and into the autumn.
The restrictions mean customers will not be able to use a hosepipe to carry out activities in and around their properties such as watering plants or filling paddling pools or hot tubs, and if they do, they could be landed with a huge fine.
If suspected of using their hosepipe during a ban, Dwr Cymru customers could face a hefty fine of £1,000 and a court summons.
Dwr Cymru is running a seven-day consultation currently which will end on 17 August, for those who wish to be considered for an exemption not already outlined in the ban.
Exemptions include watering a newly laid lawn, filling pools for medical treatment, fountains used for religious purposes and replenishing a fish pond.
Businesses such as garden centres can carry on watering but using a hosepipe to water garden plants at home will be banned, along with filling up hot tubs, paddling pools or ornamental fountains and ponds.
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People need to understand: The lives we led before the pandemic were unsustainable then and are untenable now, holding on to those old ways will only cause the individual trying to do so great psychological damage and frustrate efforts to save what is left of the world for our children to live upon. The water, the drinking stuff, is disappearing and no matter how many rainfalls you see, the drinking stuff isn’t going to increase. The people who look after the drinking stuff need to address the leakage and inefficiency problems, elected bodies need to use and create legislation that… Read more »
Its the lives of the superwealthy that are unsustainable – many of us ordinary folk have been living ‘sustainable’ lives for a long time thank you. Also alot of people dont have gardens to ‘grow food crops in’ – so im fraid thats hardly a credible solution. But when it comes to food production we already have the solution in wales – farmers and farmland, which Wales thankfully still has an abundance of.
Depends on the degree of lawbreaking. Depends on the neighbour.
My neighbours are reasonable, decent people without much lawn at all. So probably not.
But a golf course, bowling green, mansion etc? In a heartbeat.
Can a private company do this; a private police force!
Since I’m not a curtain twitcher, I wouldn’t even know if a neighbour is using a hosepipe!
Highly unlikely. They’d need to be filling up large pools in their garden several times a day for me to even consider it.
There’s so many exemptions it would have to be repeated offenses in really obvious way to be considered – remember you still have to live next to them after the ban goes away.
However, why focus on those “grassing” up their neighbours? How many would knowingly break a hosepipe ban is the real question. It’s those people who are more likely to ensure that there is a greater need for bans going forward.
Depends if I like the neibour or not………