In article , Mary
Fisher wrote:

"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.

Firstly, filling swimming pools and paddling pools with a hosepipe is
perfectly legal during a hosepipe ban -- as our national newspapers
have gleefully pointed out in the spring when the hosepipe restrictions
were extended. The law specifies that the only hosepipe activities
which can be restricted during a ban are the direct watering of gardens
or washing of vehicles from the mains supply. (Hence the need to update
the legislation and get rid of the anomalies.)

Secondly, the water compnaies don't want to fine anyone - their PR this
year has been bad enough without taking money from little old ladies.

Thirdly, they can't fine anyone anyway unless they can prove that a
hosepipe was connected to the mains supply at the time of the alleged
infringement. A defence lawyer would simply say that the hosepipe was
connected to a water butt, not the mains supply and its use was
therefore legal. Hence, no cases brought because they are unwinnable.

Fourthly, your friends may not be saving water but others are -
allegedly there has been a 10% reduction in water consumption with all
the ballyhoo ...and that was enough for Thames Water to withdraw their
August application for a drought order.