On 2 Sep, 23:20, Pam Moore wrote:
On Thu, 2 Sep 2010 19:49:11 +0100, "'Mike'"

wrote:
A remark by someone saying that they were on a water meter and that their
beans were not doing too well made me think. How many of you are on water
meters and DON'T have water butts?

Rain water is FREE.

Forward planning?

I'm on a meter, and I don't have a water butt.
The problem is, I'm mid-terrace and have no downpipe. *Even if I had
one added, I've no soak-away for excess winter water. *
Any ideas folks?

Pam in Bristol

Whilst I do have water butts, they don't store enough for a prolonged
dry spell. I augment them by keeping a bucket under the kitchen tap to
collect everything from rinsing hands to straining vegetables. It's
surprising how quickly it fills, especially once the crops ripen and
need washing. In a really dry spell the washing-up water goes onto the
garden too.

Whilst I do have a soakaway near the butt, I have toyed with the idea
of directing the overflow around the garden in leaky hoses. Has anyone
tried this? Do the ones that look like porous rubber leak fast enough
for a downpour, or would it be better to drill decent-sized holes in a
real hose?

Chris