# Hosepipe ban



## BettyK (12 March 2012)

The SE is to have a hosepipe ban from early next month. Will we still be able to use hosepipes to water/ wash off our horses??? What about watering indoor schools?


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## Purple Duck (12 March 2012)

Normally in a Hose pipe ban you cannot use your Hose pipe.

So carrying buckets to and from tap.

Probably best to wash horse down from a bucket/sponge as well- takes a bit longer but saves more water.

It will mean that watering my allotment will take a LOT longer as will have to walk to the tap/water canister.

xXx


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## acw295 (12 March 2012)

http://www.hozelock.com/press/hose-ban-can-can-ts.html

This tells you what you can and can't do - there is no problem with using it to wash off horses or fill containers - but I think watering an indoor would be out!


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## Perissa (12 March 2012)

Hosepipe ban Q&A

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/hosepipe-bans-to-be-introduced-qanda/

The following things will be banned:
watering a garden using a hosepipe
cleaning a car using a hosepipe
watering plants using a hosepipe 
cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe
filling or maintaining a swimming or paddling pool
drawing water with a hosepipe for "recreational use" 
filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe
filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain
cleaning walls or windows with a hosepipe
cleaning paths or patios with a hosepipe
cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe.

People found breaching the terms of the ban risk being prosecuted and fined up to £1,000.


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## hairycob (13 March 2012)

The trouble is one list says paddling pools etc are banned & one says allowed so I'm confusion will persist for ages. 
Our YO has already made a steamer so we don't use so much water soaking hay for my cougher - she's a keen veggie grower so dreading the ban.


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## MissTyc (13 March 2012)

Wouldn't trust that Hozelock list!
It states OK to ponds and boats, etc, which where specifically mentioned on BBC radio as being on the DON'T list ... It's not about being allowed or not allowed to do something. There is little water, so we should try to not use itm even if we are annoyed about it for a while. I'd be more annoyed by rationing of water!
Reminds me to get some water butts ASAP to collect what I can. Been meaning to for years!


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## ILuvCowparsely (13 March 2012)

I wouldn,t trust that list either.

 I am not struggling across the yard  doing waters . I will use the hose to fill the buckets.

 end result is still the same

 They can ban personal swimming pools  from the water   not sure about  public ones

*

We&#8217;ve been getting a lot of questions regarding the hosepipe ban recently put in place by United Utilities. The most popular question is along the lines of &#8220;what can I and can&#8217;t I use the hosepipe for?&#8221;

It&#8217;s really very simple at the moment.

Banned:

Washing of private vehicles with a hosepipe. This[B includes cars, vans, caravans, trailers and motorhomes

Watering of private gardens with a hosepipe or sprinkler. This includes lawns, flower beds and ornamental gardens.

Watering private allotments with a hosepipe or sprinkler.

Allowed:

Using a watering can in the garden.

Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car.

Watering and cleaning animals and animal areas (ie: yards and stables)

Topping up a pond

Of course these rules may change if the drought becomes worse in the region. Another common question is &#8220;does this ban cover where I live?&#8221;. We suggest using the postcode finder on United Utilities home page for the answer.
*


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## ILuvCowparsely (13 March 2012)

Then of cause there is horses that need soaked hay etc  They ought to have a list of  stables do and dont's.


 in the old days the hose pipe ban did not apply to stabler and farm yards


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## acw295 (13 March 2012)

The actual legislation is here

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/29/section/36 
and
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2231/part/2/made

Not actually much there that interferes with horses tbh!

I'll still be soaking my hay - but then I don't use a hose for that anyway, I fill buckets. Only use a hose to bath my horse, and that's only for proper showing which I do rarely as too lazy - otherwise I ue bucket and sponge as she hates the hose.

I'm careful with water - use any of her drinking water that is left over to soak the next days hay and we have water butts etc on the yard. I can live with a non-bathed horse and non-washed car. Have never ever watered my garden, and if the lawn dries up won't have to mow it either 

Seriously though - I've no objection to the ban, but I do have to soak hay for 12hrs (lami risk) so that's the only time I use a large amount of water.


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## BigRed (13 March 2012)

My instructor has a system of large water containers that collect rainwater that is used to water the indoor school.  You really ought to spend money on that, wasting clean drinking water on a school is a terrible waste of money and resources.  I assume you are not on a meter ?

I never water my garden, as others have said, the less the grass grows, the less I have to mow it.

I am also glad to have an excuse not to wash the car.


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## 4x4 (13 March 2012)

Hopefully it might kick some people into touch!!  We have paid for our water on a meter for years and watch EVERY drop, recycling water for garden watering, using old horses drinking water for haynet soaking not flushing the loo after only peeing etc (OH pees outside) water butts for collecting rain, and it really galls me when I go to someone else's house, who is not on a meter, when they stand and run the tap while brushing their teeth or let loads of it go down the sink so they can have 'fresh' water in their kettle.  I have made the odd comment 'oi, you're paying for that water don't waste it' or whatever and the reply is normally 'well it's ok I can use as much as I like it's free'!


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## cefyl (13 March 2012)

Purple Duck said:



			Normally in a Hose pipe ban you cannot use your Hose pipe.

So carrying buckets to and from tap.

Probably best to wash horse down from a bucket/sponge as well- takes a bit longer but saves more water.

It will mean that watering my allotment will take a LOT longer as will have to walk to the tap/water canister.

xXx
		
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Buy a large horticultural sprayer system (the kind you use to apply weedkiller or liquid fertilizer), they work of pumped air pressure in the holding tank.  The spray is enough to soak / rinse off a horse for  bathing.  Ditto for watering your allotment.  The large backpack type are useful.  You can get various size nozzles to get enough stream of water coming out.

Also this way FAR more economical on water than filling buckets, then tipping the whole lot out in one go to rinse part of a horse.


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## 4x4 (13 March 2012)

Good idea but I can't lift one full up and have known men who struggle to put one on their back!


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## cefyl (13 March 2012)

4x4 said:



			Good idea but I can't lift one full up and have known men who struggle to put one on their back!
		
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Well put it in a wheelbarrow or on a sack truck, fill it up and wheel it around!  Or you can get small 5 litre ones.  Easier than lugging several full buckets of water.


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## 4x4 (13 March 2012)

This should go into the hall of fame of good ideas!!


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## ILuvCowparsely (13 March 2012)

indoor schools do need  watering  usually via the hose.

 We are on a meter so we pay for every drop we use .


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## MagicMelon (13 March 2012)

Think you guys need to move up here, we've never had a hosepipe ban (we get plenty of rain!)!  I've always heard the ban didnt apply to animals as its a welfare sort of thing so you can fill up water buckets and wash animals down.  Watering your indoor school is not a necessity thing though!


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## paddy555 (13 March 2012)

just wondered if people with private water supplies eg bore holes, wells etc would be subject to drought restrictions.


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## 4x4 (13 March 2012)

They were  in France last year!


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## cefyl (13 March 2012)

4x4 said:



			This should go into the hall of fame of good ideas!!
		
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THANK YOU    I said something right for a change !


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## ILuvCowparsely (13 March 2012)

MagicMelon said:



			Watering your indoor school is not a necessity thing though!
		
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  well it is actually  before we resurface ours  you rode round and within 15 mins you were covered in dust  in nose throat etc.



 our new surface needs watering as sand   dust floats in there


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## Merrymoles (13 March 2012)

Leviathan said:



			well it is actually  before we resurface ours  you rode round and within 15 mins you were covered in dust  in nose throat etc.



 our new surface needs watering as sand   dust floats in there  

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Depends on your definition of a "necessity" doesn't it. People could argue, under the same logic, that washing their cars to look smart for business was a necessity. To me, necessity is making sure you have the water to keep your horse comfortable (drink, soaking hay, washing off if sweaty), not being able to use an artificial surface to ride on.


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## ponynotexpress (14 March 2012)

There are plenty of other parts of the world that have hose pipe bans on regular occasions or more severe water issues, and get by.

Collectively we've been lazy and taken water supply for granted. Hopefully what is about to happen will help more us to change a few things to use less, and with forums like this etc should be easier to share and find useful ideas for doing so.


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## happyhacking:) (16 March 2012)

I think the aim of the this ban is less to do with hosepipes and more to do with us thinking about the way we use water and the amount of water we use each day. We all need to do our bit sure. we all should also be putting pressure on the water companies to do their bit too (after all they loose and incredible amount of water each year through leaky pipes ect). At the end of the day how is anyone going to know if you used a hosepipe or a bucket without seeing you do it? Think you only need to be concerned if you have S*** stirring neighbors.


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## Britestar (17 March 2012)

I have a private water supply, and live in the far far north of Scotland. Two weeks ago our well ran dry after I left a tap trickling all night. Now I've done that many many times before, and that has never happened. Since then I have not had more than 4ft of water in the well at any time. Last summer I check it and it was maybe 3ft from the top!

I have always checked it in the summer, but never in the winter. So even up here it has been exceptionaly dry.


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## topclass (17 March 2012)

We have 2 horse pipes and all the fields have baths in them for summer drinking water but we also have 7 water butts aswell just in case this happens but to be honest weve had that much rain here its  over the top of our ditch and a few fields are still flooded


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## SpruceRI (17 March 2012)

Would we not fall foul of this?

"drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use" ?? Does washing off your pet not fall into that category?

The things that galls me rather about hosepipe bans is that car washes are still allowed to continue washing domestic and other vehicles.  Some say they re-use the water, but I'm not so sure about that, certainly a large percentage of the water must be lost.  Who gets into the underground pit to change the filters from all the crud that comes off the cars?  Re-use the water?  Really?

And also, that our County Council has just approved the building of another 6000 dwellings in our town.  Where's all the water going to come from for that lot if our reservoirs can't cope as it is??

Apart from that, I never wash my car.  I tend to wash my trailer only when it's raining, a big broom, a bit of car shampoo and the rain does the rest!


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## SonnysHumanSlave (19 March 2012)

The hosepipe ban is ridiculous.  
Too many grey areas, just dont water your grass or wash your car and I think you'll get away with it.
That is all I have to say on the matter.


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## HHO admin (22 March 2012)

Want to know how the hosepipe ban is going to affect you? 

Info about Horseowners and the hosepipe ban


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