From the Independent - which charges for its stories - via here which has ripped it.
One garden designer, who has won 14 gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, is going further by calling for an outright revolt. Paul Dyer is urging people to use their hosepipes - a real grassroots rebellion.
"Thames Water is not going to be able to prosecute hundreds of thousands of people," Mr Dyer said, who has received messages of support from fellow garden professionals and the public worried that well-tended plants will wither in the summer sun.
You go, Paul! But I'm too scaredy. I did use a hosepipe this morning, attached to my water butt which stores rainwater from my roof, which someone told me is legal (though I could find no clear rules on whether that is in or out).
Paul Dyer is right, though the water regulations are stupid and fall unfairly on gardeners, as the Royal Horticultural Society (to which I belong) has pointed out.
The Royal Horticultural Society complains that gardeners in the South-east are being made to "carry the can" for low rainfall and the 793 million gallons of water that are lost every day in the UK because of leaky pipes. The society has published tips for saving water and a guide to legitimate use of hosepipes, such as cleaning garden furniture, which could be done on the lawn, opening a potential loophole.
And of course, Thames Water has sold off reservoirs in recent years to build housing, exascerbating the problem. And the rules are stupid:
What's allowed:
- Fill a swimming pool
- Have a water fight in the garden with the family
- Hose down the dog or cat [good luck with that cat hosing!]
- Clean the patio with a pressure washer
- Leave a hose running on your driveway
- Fill empty containers
- Fill all the watering cans/water butts you could ever want
- Leave a tap dripping for months
- Water your allotment [not in all areas]
- Top up a planted pot
- Water the vegetables that will feed your family
- Connect drippers to water your patio plants
- Leave a porous hose running underneath your new hedge
- Water planted containers
- Use a spray rose on a hose to water your new lawn
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My Dyer runs a garden design firm and his specialty is water features. These aren't really affected because you can use a hose to top up water levels and perhaps inadvertently water the marginal plants. On his website he has an interesting collection of water feature horrors, perhaps not interesting unless you are a gardening snob (which I am).
Tags:hosepipe, gardening
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