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Old 22-10-2006, 04:10 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Mary Fisher Mary Fisher is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,441
Default UK drought - end in sight


"Stan The Man" wrote in message
...
In article , Mary
Fisher wrote:

"Stan The Man" wrote in message
...

Try this: the Govt needs to force us to use less water, whether it
rains or not. They want us to continue to use less water, whether it
rains or not. Hosepipe bans are the only way they know to make this
happen. So the Govt wants the bans to remain in place for as long as
possible. At the very least, they want the perception of water shortage
to continue for as long as possible. Hence they won't publicise the
lifting of hosepipe bans - and they force the water companies to do the
same (albeit they are required by law to at least put a small display
ad in the local paper to say that the ban is lifted).


Why do you think all this?


I don't think it, I know it. I have had numerous discussions directly
with Defra, the Environment Agency and the water compnaies in the
south-east. They all admit privately that hosepipe bans are a sham -
nothing more than a publicity device. And that all current hosepipe
bans have been illegally enforced because the legislation requires that
the only justification for such bans is a shortage of rainfall. Water
company pipe leaks and over-development of the south-east are not
acceptable by law as reasons to impose water restrictions.

If you have a few days, I can list any number of documents by way of
evidence to prove that the Environment Agency is manipulating the
rainfall figures, misrepresenting the cause and benefits of hosepipe
bans and leveraging the water companies to their own political ends.


No, I can't be bothered.

But I can't understand why if there's such a plot that it doesn't seem that
anyone has been fined for using hosepipes. I have friends in the south east
and they've all used hosepipes for watering gardens, filling a swimming pool
and filling children's paddling pools.

The plot isn't working.