[Yorkie]

It seems to me that hosepipe bans are only imposed when there is a real reason for doing so.  I've read several different sources saying that the reservoirs are much lower than normal for this time of year.

Water is a scarce resource and hosepipe watering is relatively inefficient.  Watering cans are far more efficient as they are targeted and there is less spray drift / evaporation in the air.

As Mikey said previously, at the risk of being controversial, it seems highly selfish to use up precious water reserves by insisting on using a hosepipe.  Our predecessors managed before hoses and we can do so again.  Yes, it's harder work and yes, it takes longer, but at some point the greater good needs to be considered.

[mumofstig]

I agree.....but still think it would be nice to be nearer a tap, as I'm sure that the nearer you are to one, the more watering cans you are likely to use 

If it gets really bad there will be no watering on the plot and we'll be collecting household water from a tanker

[andy135]

I don't have a problem using a watering can.  I do get a bit niggled when northwest water sold off reservoirs last year saying that there was no longer a need for them. Also, 1,000s of gallons per day are lost through inefficient piping of our supplies. The water company's can waste it, but as a metered user I cannot.  
We get plenty of rainfall during the winter, it just isn't managed efficiently and there aren't enough resources being put back into upgrading the system. Some of it is victorian, literally.

I have asked united utillities if I can use a hosepipe to fill my waterbutts and use a watering can from there onwards to save wastage but so far have not got an answer.

I don't think I should hold my breath.  

Maybe I should just buy a book on building irrigation channels..................... Now there's an idea! 

[Stevens706]

Andy123 Toxorebel asked united Utilities on an earlier post this question and they said it was OK to fill up waterbutts via a hosepipe

Toxorebel said

Okay, well the latest info I've got from UU is that it's okay to fill a watering can OR water butt  using a hosepipe - this is a great relief to me as it's quite a walk to the nearest tap from my plot!

[andy135]

Andy123 Toxorebel asked united Utilities on an earlier post this question and they said it was OK to fill up waterbutts via a hosepipe

Toxorebel said

Okay, well the latest info I've got from UU is that it's okay to fill a watering can OR water butt  using a hosepipe - this is a great relief to me as it's quite a walk to the nearest tap from my plot!

Our allotment elders will not allow something like that unless we get it in black and white, and I can't say that I blame them with a £1,000 fine hanging over it.

[Stevens706]

Totally agree I think I will print off a copy of the UU reply to Toxorebel and save it JIC

[rowlandwells]

there seems to be quite a lot of controversy regarding this matter water!! we moan when there's to much we moan when there's not enough and yes i fit into that category but this year it does seen to be trying us gardeners this year we do need rain and we need it now i suppose when it does come it will be like a typhoon with the ground being so dry it will wash everything out a nice steady rain that's whats needed like most i have set plants on the Lottie by watering them in it seems like everything has stopped growing in anticipation of rain we unfortunately don't have the pleasure of water lay ed on on the Lottie so we have to hope the natural spring that runs near the Lottie won't dry up  its running very slow and not enough to supply all i suppose i am lucky in the sense that i can take two 50g drums of water down on the tractor and trailer and i did purchase a motor pump some years ago but tap water its not like the natural rainfall it only keeps thing going my cabbage Brussels etc are still in pots waiting for the rain to arrive if and when it does I'm going to set then in black poly mulch film like last year to retain the moisture he says hopefully never mind its Silverstone this week end and i live near there so probably it mite rain am i a kill joy or am i a kill joy 

[theakston_uk]

I privatley rent a piece of land that I have turned into an allotment, it has no water supply apart from rain that I collect in a water butt. The people who live behind the allotment have very kindly let me use their outside tap to supply my allotment with water. I run a hose from their tap which connects to a tap on the side of my shed (about 15m of hose)and I have a hose running from that tap to water the allotment.

I have just got off the phone from United Utilities to ask where I stand with the hosepipe ban. I'm fine about not being able to use a hosepipe to phisically water the allotment, I am quite happy to fill a watering can from my waterbutt and water the allotment, but this is where I think they have gone a bit too far and the common sense has gone out of the window.

United Utilities have told me I can fill my watering can from the outside tap on the house and water my allotment, but I can't connect the hose from the outside tap on the house to the tap on the shed and fill my watering can from the shed tap. Also I can't connect the hose on the outside tap and fill my waterbutt and use the watering can from there, because they say both of those methods are drawing water from the mains. Surely filling a watering can from a tap that is connected to the mains is also drawing water from the mains. I wouldn't mind but both methods that I have suggested to them would not waste water, they are basically just using an extension from the outside tap to my allotment. I thought they were saying this because it's a private allotment, but they said the same stands for council allotments. My problem is that there is a big hedge inbetween my allotment and the house so it looks like I'll be doing a lot of walking for the time being and a rain dance inbetween.

[Stevens706]

theakston_uk that’s crazy, on our allotments the water comes onto the site near the entrance from there it is distributed to other taps along the boundary wall via short runs of blue pipe, if we apply what UU have said to you then we can only use the first tap at the entrance. The world has gone mad, it also seems that UU are giving different and contradicting answers depending upon who is answering the questions.

[theakston_uk]

Tried United Utilities again to see what someone else has to say and they have said you are definitly not allowed to do what I mentioned in my previous post, so whoever replied on Twitter has given the wrong information out. I mentioned common sense to them and they said if they don't put an entire ban on hosepipes, people will take advantage saying 'I was just filling my waterbutt and while I was doing that I thought I'd was my car and clean my windows' I think allotment holders should be allowed to fill waterbutts with a hosepipe and then use a watering can, there is no difference between doing that and filling the watering can using an outside tap, just it taking a lot longer walking from the tap and back

[Babstreefern]

Hopefully, this will clear up any potential costly misunderstanding

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10533376.stm

[beaker141]

I'm  sure I read you can use a hose to fill a kids paddling pool, and then recycle the water onto the garden afterwards - perhaps you need to try this!

[4 Candles]

I'm just off down the plot to give everything a good dowsing before 6.00am.

What's the betting it immediately starts pi**ing down!

 

[theakston_uk]

Today I tweeted United Utilities asking them if I can fill my waterbutt using a hosepipe and from the waterbutt use a watering can to water the allotment. They have said that it's fine to do that, which is good news and will save me a lot of time. Thanks United Utilities for finally using some common sense over the hosepipe ban