Last time we had the hosepipe bans, 2003, there was insufficient rain to refill my waterbutts from early April to late October. By late April I had used the water in the butts, and that was that. Nearby places had a few thundery downpours, enough to recharge their waterbutts a few times, enough even to flood the streets just 3-4 miles away, but they all by chance missed us, or graced us with only a light shower. I started to think I was living in a special local micro-climate that tended to miss the downpours, but I now realise it was random chance pure and simple.

What I did last time was run water from a tap into a storage container, and then carried the water from the container in watering cans to things needing watering in the garden. I could have just just run the water into the watering cans, but going via a storage container I could keep the tap running continuously and cut out the refill waiting time. I checked, and this is perfectly legal. My sole aim was to keep expensive and long-lived plants alive, not get a crop of vegetables or keep a lawn green. We have a metered supply, and our water usage, even including garden watering, is rather below average for a household of our size, so I don't feel in the least guilty about it.