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Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Thursday, 8th July 2010
I can't believe no one has started a thread about the hose pipe ban in the NW
Surely I'm not the only one affected by it.
Reading the weather thread, the NW has had more rain than most, it's been warm and sunny but there has been rain and thunder storms where I live
I use my hose pipe more for convienience. It takes 10mins to water pots and GH, probably less, all the water goes where I want it to go. I don't water the lawn or veg planted in the ground.
Using a water can, most goes on the gravel and path surrounding pots...
we can still use watering cans, can't we...
Its very concerning this lack of rain, I live in the midlands and we have had very little rain, this month.
I was woken up by very heavy rain one night but the next day it looked like it hadn't rained at all - I only use my hose very selectivly, I use my watering can every night, but i'm growing veg this year. My toms I have to water twice a day (on reflection I should have put them in a bigger pot and I love terracotta pots but they do dry out quickly)
On the plus side all the sunshine is great for vegs.
So far I haven't heard of a ban here yet - but its probably coming.
Rain? What's rain? In the south east we have not had any appreciable rain for ages. The water butt ran out yonks ago. We now have to large plastic tubtrugs outside the back door into which we put all the waste water from the kitchen. Come evening and it's used for watering the plot. You'd be surprised just how much water normally goes down the sink!
, in reply to message 3.
Posted by youngandallotmenting (U14434252) on Friday, 9th July 2010
No rain here for weeks! (I'm in Reading) I don't mind though because I'm having less of a problem with weeds and the sunshine is great for veg growing! We have water butts with taps at my allotment and i prefer to use a can anyway, keeps the water where its supposed to be! I'm lucky I guess!
I have installed a greenhouse this year and took the opportunity to connect the gutters to my newly purchased water butt. Since then (April) there hasn't been enough water to fill the water butt so I've had to do so using the hosepipe. As the ban comes into effect today I had to get the water butt filled using the hosepipe last night.
I'm in the region where the ban is in place but the water supply to our house comes from North Wales where the reservoirs are full!
Oldends, I agree what is rain, we haven't had any now for four or five weeks, probably none now until late August, then maybe only for a night or day. Anyway I do similar, I always keep a 5litre water container next to the kitchen sink and water my pots with that it is suprising as to how much goes down the sink with a mixer tap to get some warm water. We do not have a hose pipe ban as our water comes from under ground, a bore hole and is pumped up. Keep up the good work and use showers not baths.
I鈥檓 in the NW and there was a big leak in the middle of a road in my area last week; it took them two days to get someone out to fix it so they can鈥檛 be that bothered!
I only use the hosepipe to fill my waterbutts, as they aren鈥檛 connected up yet (I need to get some guttering for the shed). I鈥檓 going to continue using the hose for this purpose, because it is no different than filling the watering can up in the house. If United Utilities don鈥檛 like it, then they can kiss my鈥.
Or fine you 拢1000.00!
I also am affacted by this ban with living in Lancashire. I use it to water my veg and pots because I`m unable to lift watering cans because of a back injury. I have to use small jugs so now it`s a long job to do it as my hubby has MS and unable to do it.
No allowance for disabled people either.
We`ll have to manage and yes I`ll spill water everywhere as well though I didn`t with the hosepipe.
It's the usual thing, lets knock the gardeners with their wicked ways - watering food crops, and enjoying flowers to lift the spirits, how dreadful of them, how anti-social, lets punish them, a group of people who cannot fight back.
Don't lets bother with the hotels, golf courses, the huge water waste in manufacturing, because they might fight back and we might lose!! Lets not bother to repair the broken pipes, or seal the broken reservoirs, or even build new ones where the rain actually tends to fall, we can always knock back the gardeners - after all, what can they do.......... and it makes us look like such a caring careful water board who are taking care of their water, rather than spending a kings ransom doing absoluteky nothing.
Added to which, has anyone looked at the grass and flowers outside the water companies offices? Thery certainly don't seem to have a hose pipe ban applied to them!!
Grrrrr ...............
Hi bookertoo, I agree with most of what you say but golf courses/sports clubs and hotels would have a case not to be restricted on water. Golf courses spend tens (even hundreds, for championship courses)of thousands of pounds every year on course upkeep and if putting greens were left without water for weeks on end it could cost many thousands of pounds to put things right on top of which they have water meters as, I imagine, do hotels.
Water companies have always been the worst of the services in getting their act together and putting profits (and shareholders)before customers.
I'm sure you ae correct about how much would be lost by golf courses (and I only used them as an example), but in the real scheme of things people growing food for their famiies - which is what more and more gardeners are doing these days, should be a somewhat higher priority than people pushing small white ball around expensive grounds, getting pain obscene amiunts of money to do it, while people who want their families to have decent, non-contaminated veggies get told to stop watering!!
However, I guess it is a subject upon which we will agree to disagree greensward, and possibly with a pen-name like that you have a vested interest? Or, maybe unlike me, you love a nice green lawn - in which case I tender my commiserations 'cos I'll bet you've not got one now.
It is true that no other utility would, or should, get away with the inefficiency that the water boards do - and then they punish us for their failings. Lets be honest, there are countries where rain does not fall for months, and many - though I would be the first to agree not all - manage their water supply a jolly sight better than our people do!!
I also am affacted by this ban with living in Lancashire. I use it to water my veg and pots because I`m unable to lift watering cans because of a back injury. I have to use small jugs so now it`s a long job to do it as my hubby has MS and unable to do it.
No allowance for disabled people either.聽
Hi, Sue58
This may be worth looking into further if it applies.
See ref 鈥淧lease note: blue badge holders and customers who are registered disabled are exempt from the ban.鈥
Thankfully in South Wales we are fine, last week i read the the reserviors were at 72%, i was a bit surpised at that good percentage. Earlier this week it rain heavily all day and night, and the best thing was, it was not forecast. Now there's a surprise
Glad you got some rain, but not a bit surprised the forecasters got it wrong again!! I cannot understand how it is the Met. Office gets the huge amounts of money from the 'guvmint', and yet cannot make a forecast that is halfway accurate. For the last 6 weeks they have told us heavy rain mid week, and we have not had a drop! That is our local forecast, not the national one which is also inaccurate.
In the Spring they kept telling us we would have sunshine, and never a day was when it came to be! I think about those at sea relying on the Met. Office, and hope they are a great deal more accurate for them than they are for us.
We've had a good mix of heat and moisture so far this year(Alberta Canada), but I was wondering what your thoughts are if or when you see this. When the city enforces a water ban, it does not apply to the golf courses. The city continues to run the sprinklers in city parks. I can't count the number of times I've passed by city sprinklers watering the roads instead of the grass. How can the city hand out fines to those who break the water ban? Shouldn't the city set an example by turning off their sprinklers and when they do use them, adjust them so the water isn't wasted on the roads?
Just down the road from my arid allotment is a business that washes peoples' cars, they are still operating. This isn't fair, we are growing food crops & should be exempt.
United Utilities didn't bother to come out to fix a burst main in my road until a lady was drenched by a car going through the puddle & the local councillor got on the case, even though the water had been leaking for at least a month.
i agree it seems absolutely ridiculous my water butts were empty so i filled them with the hose pipe day before ban came into force and i soaked the toms in the greenhouse the fruit and veg baskets etc and yep!!!
it rained for ages
the thing that annoys me apart from the obvious is that as person who is unable to carry water 50ft+ from outside tap to fruit and veg in watering cans to keep the toms, fruit and veg which i am lovingly growing for health and carbon footprint reasons
so which is the worse scenario use water on food products or contribute to damaging the earth with lorries pesticides let alone the convenience of being on tap (pardon the pun)no heavy shopping to carry
still it will soon be winter then they can bring the country to a standstill again
if santa can get around the entire world in one night in snow hail etc to visit all the good boys and girls
why cant public transport manage the odd day or two?? to get the mummy's and daddy's to work to pay for santa's oustanding service!!!
thanks for that david you are star!!i will check with them to-morrow because my lovely neighbours will take gr8 pleasure in telling me off
my daughter lives with me and is a blue badge holder she will be able to re-fill water butt as needed to water toms fruit veg etc
as i am in for op next week she will be looking after things for at least 2months and this means she wont have to carry watering can
You're welcome, Nan.
Hope everyone affected has read my message as it IS important.
Good luck with the op, I hope everything goes well and you make a speedy recovery.
Sue58. I struggle lifting weights because of a bad back so I'm watering in two waves, watered pots at about 5 and have just come in from watering the GH plants. The lawn and beds are never normally watered unless new plants have gone in.
Blue badge holders are exempt, I don't qualify but my brothers OH does and she's refusing to water the garden for him on principle or letting him use it as an excuse to use the hose pipe, she seldom uses her blue badge unless absolutely necessary.
she's refusing to water the garden for him on principle or letting him use it as an excuse to use the hose pipe, she seldom uses her blue badge unless absolutely necessary.聽
As I see it, you either need a blue badge or not. If you don't, I think the time for having a conscience about it is when you apply for one.
thankyou david!!
....'you either need a blue badge or not. If you don't, I think the time for having a conscience about it is when you apply for one'...
I was replying to message number 9 David but it's my understanding if you don't need a blue badge then a person would be turned down at the application stage.
The point I was making is that the badge is for her use and not my brother's to get round the hose pipe ban, if without the use of a hose people can't water their garden I would be support them 110%. It isn't an issue of conscience it's about the blue badge holder using it for the purpose intended.
Explained in those terms, I apologise.
However, my previous message was in response to your words 鈥榮he seldom uses her blue badge unless absolutely necessary鈥.
Anyway, that must be my last word on the blue badges鈥t is a thread about a hosepipe ban, after all.
Of course there is a hosepipe ban, it has started to rain. I don't suppose they will lift it with as much enthusiasm as they drop it on us! Beside, all we do is then fill watering cans - suppose you do use a bit less, but it does seem silly - after all, I'm sure none of us just throw water around for no good reason but just for the plants.
Saw a chap watering his car with a watering can the other day, wonder what it will grow into?
Hi bookertoo, I suppose you could say I had a vested interest on the point of golf course watering as I was a greenkeeper/groundsman all my working life (now retired) but I take your point and can sympathise with your views. It must be galling for people with hosepipe bans to look out and see thousands of gallons of water going on to golf courses and sports grounds. The way golf club committees look at it (rightly or wrongly) is that they have to answer to the members who have paid hundreds of pounds a year to play golf, many times I had irate members complaining because the greens were too hard or turning brown. I also had people who lived nearby asking why I was allowed to use hosepipes and sprinklers when they couldn't, I could only explain that was the rule laid down by the government and water companies
Yes, you're right, I do like a nice green weed free lawn but I don't waste water on it as I know it will turn green again as soon as it rains, I think most people would think twice about watering the lawn if they had a water meter and worked out the cost. It's almost as though people are ashamed to have a brown lawn.It is a good thing we only get drought conditions once every few years.
Of course there is a hosepipe ban, it has started to rain.聽
Anyone remember Denis Howell, minister for drought?
He was made Minister for Drought in 1976, which was the driest summer in over 200 years, but days later heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding, and he was made Minister of Floods.
Yes I remember that too, didn't he become Minister of Wind too?!
Would you believe it we`ve just had a massive thunderstorm here in the NW. We`ve had rain ever since the ban. TYPICAL but well wanted.
David thanks for your reply and I do fit the message so thank you very much.
But on the bright side.
We have water and life,think of those that dont the next time you visit a carwash .
We've had rain every day bar one since the ban started and the past two days it's been torential which is great for the garden but doesn't seem to wet the pots enough.
Yep, another day of rain here in NWest. There are even flood warnings out!
Think it did rain on St. Swithins' Day, so there should be plenty more to come! J.
We've had really wet weather this side of Lancashire. It rained all weekend and has rained most of today wonder when the hose ban will be over.
I don鈥檛 think there are any signs of it being lifted any time soon. They鈥檙e saying we still need a lot more rain. It wouldn鈥檛 surprise me if they were holding off to try and make a case for a huge increase in rates.
Does most of our water still get pumped further south where there isn鈥檛 a ban in place?
Even though I`ve a blue badge I still let my buckets fill with rainwater and half fill my watering can to do pots which aren`t to far away. I use my hosepipe if I need to but with all this rain I haven`t had any need to.
The resouvior near my is full, I drove past to get some eggs from a local farm.
Apparently you can use your hose to fill up water butts and watering cans. It's been raining most nights when I've got home from work so I've had to dash from GH to tap to fill a watering can in order to water the GH. Not any more, I've moved a pastic bin to the GH door which I'm filling every couple of days then dipping the watering can
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