How stupid is the water ban

[Nidge41]

You just couldn't make it up could you? The billions of pounds made by these water companies are supposed to be invested in the infrastructure, obviously they aren't doing that.

The UK is surrounded by water so why can't we desalinate like all the other countries do??

Originally Posted by Nidge41

You just couldn't make it up could you? The billions of pounds made by these water companies are supposed to be invested in the infrastructure, obviously they aren't doing that.

The UK is surrounded by water so why can't we desalinate like all the other countries do??

Thames water made £208.5 million pre tax profit last year and they spent about £250m on a brand new desalination plant at the Thames estuary .Water companies are making less money as more people are put on meters and using less .Anglian waters profits where £709m last year but have debts of 6.4billion ,so all is not rosy in the water garden perhaps needs watering

[Nidge41]

Originally Posted by martyh

Thames water made £208.5 million pre tax profit last year and they spent about £250m on a brand new desalination plant at the Thames estuary .Water companies are making less money as more people are put on meters and using less .Anglian waters profits where £709m last year but have debts of 6.4billion ,so all is not rosy in the water garden perhaps needs watering

Very interesting ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As far as I'm concerned the water companies only have themselves to blame for falling profits .Looking at the graph below it's not as though the profit margin is small .If they have failed to invest when they where making the profits then i would suggest that the regulatory body(OFWAT) wasn't doing it's job properly.Now the lack of investment is coming back to bite them up the arse

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by martyh

Quite agree, but there is still the issue of people with car washing businesses and as The Daddy said they pay a lot more ,i believe the price is based on the rateable value of the land if they don't have a meter fitted

As far as I know, businesses have to have a water meter.

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We all like to see flowers in bloom in parks and on verges and roundabouts. But it really annoys me when there is a hosepipe ban, but the councils still have sprinklers going. Personally I don't think this should be included in the exemption. We can make do without flowers in these places whilst there is a water shortage. And it would also save money in these difficult economic times.

---------- Post added at 10:02 ---------- Previous post was at 10:01 ----------

Most of you probably don't realise, but in some areas the water companies have cut the water pressure to fire hydrants. This can obviously cause a serious issue with firefighting operations.

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by Osem

...I use a waterless washing system anyway - it's fantastic.

And what do you use on your car?

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by nomadking

Might be worth pointing out another potentially useful exemption.
If you think you might qualify for disability reasons(eg disabled Bus Pass), but don't drive and therefore don't have a Blue Badge, you could ask(eg via email) your water supplier.

I do indeed have on and have noted that - cheers

[Taf]

Originally Posted by jb66

Why do cars need to be clean anyway?

True

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Rob

A serious question, how as a consumer in an area that might be affected (no one has formally told me, but I suspect I am), am I supposed to know that restrictions are legally applying and what those restrictions are? I haven't had any formal communication from my water company. Am I expected to have just somehow become aware because of articles in the news?

I have a pond, that to replace the current fish if they die might due to their size and age set me back perhaps over £2000. Can I use my hose to keep those fish alive by topping up the pond as it dries out, or to flush out the filters? My water board, not the internet or other gossip in media sources, should be formally adivsing me of what is or is not allowed.

Equally, if the water board are restricting my supply, will my water bill be similarly restricted. I am not metered.

Oh and there are a lot of suggestions about using showers instead of baths. I'm not convinced that actually saves that much water for many modern properties with mains or power showers especially if they have some of those larger shower heads. My own shower for example is well capable of running out of hot water from the cylinder after only a few minutes.

Yes, I must admit I'd expected some form of notification from Thames Water but found all the detail prominently on their website. I'm not sure how much value bits of paper have as many people don't even bother to read them. As usual, those with a bit of common sense, hear it on the news or see it in the papers and make the effort to find out whilst those who think decanting petrol near an open flame is a good idea remain oblivious to it all. We recently received out water bill and there was no specific mention of the impending drought restrictions and that would have been a good idea IMHO.

Your point about simplistic advice re bath v. shower demonstrates the problem the authortities/companies have when trying to communicate important information to the widest possible audience. Most of us know the figures quoted can only be averages, that the amount of water used by a shower depends on all sorts of factors and will make suitable changes to our behaviour to try to save water. There's a sizeable proportion however for whom the new rules will mean nothing even if they bother to read them. For these people ignorance is indeed bliss and I wonder how many will think spending 15 mins in a power shower is saving water as compared to having a bath.

Anyway, here's Thames Water's offering.

http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde....xsl/15443.htm

Having said that, they've acted before the summer starts and I'd expect that now the ban is in force the water companies will be making extra efforts to communicate the facts to the public, the cost of which will ultimately be borne by the suffering customers.

---------- Post added at 10:42 ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 ----------

Originally Posted by TheNorm

And what do you use on your car?

It's called Showroom Shine and I've been using it for several years. It is a fabulous product which requires no water and minimal effort, not only cleaning the vehicle but also protecting it and keeping it clean for longer. We're in a hard water area and water marks were always a big problem when cleaning our cars but now they're a thing of the past.

I got it from Ideal World because I'd be able to return it if not satisfied. I must admit I was a huge cynic before trying it but after doing so I've never used anything else. If you check out the reviews section you'll see it has a large number of primarily 5 star ratings.

http://www.idealworld.tv/BOGOF_Greased_Lightning_Showroom_Shine_1_Litre_171 785.aspx?fh_location=//idealworld/en_GB/$s=showroom

---------- Post added at 10:47 ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 ----------

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Desalination is a very expensive option both in up front costs and ongoing energy consumption.

Don't forget that leaky pipes just return the water to the ground water resource. It's not "lost". Leakage is more of a distribution and cost issue.

I bet if I used a hose from my water butt some busybody would shop me to the water company even though it's a quite legal use.

Indeed. The cost of desalination, water grids and reservioir building would be huge with no guarantee that they'd be needed by the time they were eventually built. Imagine the fuss if £billions were spent on all that and then the weather reverted to our usual wet climate with flooding a regular event. To an extent HMG and the companies are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Re leaks, I heard one environmental commentator making the point that if all the long standing leaks are fixed quite a large number of London's trees may either die or cause new subsidence problems in our clay soil.

The point about being reported for using a hose via a water butt is a good one which I've raised before in another thread. We'd like to use a hose to syphon bath water onto the garden but I'd be reluctant to do so for that very reason.

Originally Posted by Osem

The point about being reported for using a hose via a water butt is a good one which I've raised before in another thread. We'd like to use a hose to syphon bath water onto the garden but I'd be reluctant to do so for that very reason.

Personnally if a neighbour tried that with me i would just carry on knowing i was in the right

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by Osem

It's called Showroom Shine and I've been using it for several years. It is a fabulous product which requires no water and minimal effort, not only cleaning the vehicle but also protecting it and keeping it clean for longer. We're in a hard water area and water marks were always a big problem when cleaning our cars but now they're a thing of the past.

I got it from Ideal World because I'd be able to return it if not satisfied. I must admit I was a huge cynic before trying it but after doing so I've never used anything else. If you check out the reviews section you'll see it has a large number of primarily 5 star ratings.

http://www.idealworld.tv/BOGOF_Greased_Lightning_Showroom_Shine_1_Litre_171 785.aspx?fh_location=//idealworld/en_GB/$s=showroom

I presume it's no good for mud or grit, as this would scratch your paint?

[Osem]

Originally Posted by martyh

Personnally if a neighbour tried that with me i would just carry on knowing i was in the right

The problem is you'd probably be shopped anonymously and then have all the hassle of trying to prove what you were doing to the water company. I'd rather not be in that position.

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by martyh

Personnally if a neighbour tried that with me i would just carry on knowing i was in the right

I suppose it depends on the process of issuing fines. If they just send a plane over your house to take photos, and then use that as evidence, then you could end up having to fight it in court.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

I presume it's no good for mud or grit, as this would scratch your paint?

If you read the reviews by people who've actually used it you will see it doesn't do that. It lubricates the surfaces to prevent any scratching and both our cars are paint swirl free zone unlike the ones I jused to wash the traditional way. Having said that, I think large amounts of dried on mud etc. would be better softened with water and the worst removed before using the product.

Before I first tried it on my car I applied some building sand to a piece of highly polished stainless steel sheet, sprayed it with the product then rubbed it in with my fingers. I didn't scratch the surface at all so I tried it on the car and haven't used anything since.

---------- Post added at 11:10 ---------- Previous post was at 11:08 ----------

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

I suppose it depends on the process of issuing fines. If they just send a plane over your house to take photos, and then use that as evidence, then you could end up having to fight it in court.

Yes, you have the hassle of proving you're innocent.

[nomadking]

I have an official exemption, but how will any neighbours know that?
From an Email

...so we will be happy for you to use your hosepipe. Please take the approach to try and conserve water whenever possible.
Thank you
Anglian Water Customer Services

Do the water usage figures for a hosepipe refer to where it is fully 'open'? Using a spray on a hosepipe to water a garden would use a lot less. Which figure are the water companies using for their estimates of savings of water usage?