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#1
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Love Thy Neighbour: was Don't get Mad get Even
or: Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten Cold
quote Beware the suburban supergrass Jacqueline Maley Wednesday April 12, 2006 The Guardian Hidden beneath the tranquil surface of the south-east's pony paddocks and quiet hedgerows, a troubled people are secretly seething. Curtains are twitching and plans of sweet revenge are being hatched. Residents are queueing up to inform on neighbours. In short, England is turning into a nation of snitches. And it is all over the use of the humble hosepipe. When the water companies imposed restrictions on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers, backbone was added to the ban by the setting up of a telephone hotline to allow anyone to report breaches. To their surprise, the water companies have been inundated. What started as a trickle has become, in reverse proportion to the water shortage, a flood. Thames Water has taken 90 calls in which people have shopped their neighbours for breaching the restrictions. South East Water has taken 100, and Three Valleys Water 124. But it is Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight that take the crown for the country's most ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ illustrious sneaks, with the company that serves the region, Southern ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Water, reporting no fewer than 1,500 tipoffs. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Even tiny Folkestone and Dover Water, which services 65,000 households, has taken three calls since its ban began last week. Unfortunately, all three reported fellow villagers for actions not actually banned. Still, hats off for laudable civic mindedness. Paula Campbell, a spokeswoman for Three Valleys Water, which services 3m households in north London and the home counties, says its best informant is a "very keen" woman who increases the scope of her surveillance by snooping as she takes her daily jog. ("She says she is exhausted from all the running," Ms Campbell report). Gardeners on her route beware - she has shopped several since the ban began just over a week ago, and is on the lookout for more. It is not known whether "supergrass" showers, or for how long, on her return home. Of course, the bloody-minded will always find a way to break the rules. Some gardeners have tried to sneak around the ban by watering in the dead of night. Nice try, but these days the hedges have eyes. Other calls reported an ad hoc car-washing service in the car park of a local pub. While some admired the entrepreneurial spirit, others were not amused. One particularly nefarious customer rang to say he was going to re-register his company to include car washing as one of its activities. He would then employ his wife to wash his car. Some householders are still unsure of the ins and outs of the ban. Callers have asked, for example, what to do with a muddy dog - is one permitted to hose him down, as in days of yore? "We are not trying to be Big Brother in terms of of policing," Ms Campbell says. "It shouldn't be, 'Can I do it?' but, 'Is there a better way?' It might be better to get a bucket of warm water, some baby shampoo, and sponge him off." Such limp wristedness is spurned by other companies, such as Sutton and East Surrey Water, in favour of surveillance. "This is the thing that people don't appreciate," says Stuart Hyslop, a spokesman for the company. "We can actually monitor [water usage]. We have a very sophisticated direct monitoring system. "In the wee small hours of the morning there's virtually no water going into any district, so if suddenly a disproportionate amount goes out, we know that somebody is using a heck of a lot of water, and that can only be someone using a sprinkler." Gotcha. It could be worse. In Sydney, Australia, where water restrictions have applied since 2003, random checks to "ensure compliance" are carried out by the Soviet-style Water Restrictions Patrol. As for dobbing in your neighbours, it has become socially acceptable. Permits are required to fill backyard pools and cars that get dirty stay that way, or else. The hosing of pathways to clear leaves, once a great Australian pastime, is likely to result in a citizen's arrest. Websites are abuzz with tales of flagrant water abuse, and people are encouraged to inform. Writing in the Australian Conservation Foundation's chatroom, a man called "Dinesh" incites one prevaricating gardener to "name and shame" his wasteful neighbour. "Tell your neighbour that their garden is completely unsuitable in terms of water consumption and that it shouldn't take priority over people," he exhorts. "Then tell them to expect a fine in the post. In fact, just give me their details and I will dob them in." To which "Margie" responds, rather sagely: "Just be careful that he doesn't dob you in for something in turn." /quote http://www.guardian.co.uk/water/stor...752066,00.html michael adams .... |
#2
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Love Thy Neighbour: was Don't get Mad get Even
michael adams wrote: or: Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten Cold quote Beware the suburban supergrass Jacqueline Maley Wednesday April 12, 2006 The Guardian Hidden beneath the tranquil surface of the south-east's pony paddocks and quiet hedgerows, a troubled people are secretly seething. Curtains are twitching and plans of sweet revenge are being hatched. Residents are queueing up to inform on neighbours. In short, England is turning into a nation of snitches. And it is all over the use of the humble hosepipe. Nobody would call me a natural Grauniad reader but I LOVE this. We have peerages for cash, we have 'were they loans or gifts', we have punitive Council Tax, Income Tax, Petrol Tax, and every other bloody tax, taxes that would create riots in any other country - but the Guardian is remarking upon hosepipe bans as a source of fulmination. And honestly, I think they're probably correct. Middle England is going to get infinitely more exercised over the misuse of hoses than it is over all the other things I cited. How gloriously English and how infinitely sad. When the water companies imposed restrictions on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers, backbone was added to the ban by the setting up of a telephone hotline to allow anyone to report breaches. To their surprise, the water companies have been inundated. What started as a trickle has become, in reverse proportion to the water shortage, a flood. Thames Water has taken 90 calls in which people have shopped their neighbours for breaching the restrictions. South East Water has taken 100, and Three Valleys Water 124. But it is Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight that take the crown for the country's most ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ illustrious sneaks, with the company that serves the region, Southern ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Water, reporting no fewer than 1,500 tipoffs. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Imagine. Who would do such a thing? Tsk. snip -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon |
#3
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Love Thy Neighbour: was Don't get Mad get Even
Thames Water has taken 90 calls in which people have shopped their neighbours for breaching the restrictions. South East Water has taken 100, and Three Valleys Water 124. But it is Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight that take the crown for the country's most ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ illustrious sneaks, with the company that serves the region, Southern ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Water, reporting no fewer than 1,500 tipoffs. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Imagine. Who would do such a thing? Tsk. snip -- Sacha Please let me know 'cos I don't want to be caught using my hose to wash the car, (I do have a big one and it is tooooooooo much to wash by hand), watering my garden, (not all that big but then we do have some special plants in it and even more now we have learnt of new ones on our cruise, ... oh did I tell you we have been on a cruise? Got another one booked of course to the Carribean, and after that, quite a few cabins, Staterooms don't you know, on Cunard's Queen Victoria don't you know. Maiden cruise to the Canaries if you wish to join us), and to continue, power wash my patio. Please let me know who the sneak is. Mike |
#4
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Love Thy Neighbour: was Don't get Mad get Even
In article .com,
Sacha wrote: (snip) Who would do such a thing? Whoever these people are - and they are almost certainly people who already have a grudge against their neighbour - they had better be sure that they can prove that the hose was being used for one of the very few illegal uses under a so-called "hosepipe ban". Dozens of hose uses are perfectly legal under these daft restrictions, including water fights, washing paths, patios and windows, hosing down the dog and filling watering cans, water butts and any other unplanted container you can find. In other words, the snitchers who report the "waterhogs" will need clear photographic evidence because the defence is otherwise too simple, ie: I was only having a perfectly legal garden shower, m'lud. In view of the anomalies of the hosepipe law (Water Industry Act 1991), it is almost impossible to imagine that any case could succeed so - as with so much else of their scare-mongering - the water compnaies' threats of £1000 fines are just bully talk. (Btw, as a Thames Water customer I have heard a rumour that I may have been subject to a hosepipe ban since April 3 - but so far I have not received any such notification from Thames Water, so I assume either that the rumour was unfounded or that I - and everyone else I know who is a Thames Water customer - am exempt from the restriction.) |
#5
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Love Thy Neighbour: was Don't get Mad get Even
In view of the anomalies of the hosepipe law (Water Industry Act 1991), it is almost impossible to imagine that any case could succeed so - as with so much else of their scare-mongering - the water compnaies' threats of £1000 fines are just bully talk. Have you tried the Data Protection Act? A fun one to read and apply :-)) Been there, done that, threatened prosecution :-)) Someone tried to sell my huge list of names and addresses of H.M.Ship's Association's Secretaries ............. once :-)) Mike www.rnshipmates.co.uk |
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