Hosepipe Ban

I have 3 large water buts which I use to water the garden more than anything to save money on the water bill if i'm honest. During the current ban am I allowed to use a pump and a hose to water the garden?

Thanks

As far as I know! Think the ban only applies to a hose connected to the mains water so I cant imagine a pump in a water butt being a problem - it's just another way of getting the water out rather than filling a can from it! 

I would check with your local water supplier.  My Dad told me of a man who used a hose pipe to drain the water from his bath to water his plants, this was during the last hose pipe ban, this man was still fined.  Don't risk it without checking.

Here are the guidelines from Anglian water. 

Although not specifically stated, I am pretty sure from the examples given, that a hosepipe with a trigger gun on  the end, used solely to fill up watering cans, is OK. 

http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/water-resources/4025142DE63E4E96897DAC2FE1E519CE.aspx

Thanks for the above Gold1locks. It's pretty specific and answers all the previously posed questions.

<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1.5em; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: 18px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">You can use a hosepipe to:

<ul style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: 18px; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Transport rain water from a water butt <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: 18px; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Create a siphon to recycle used bath or kitchen water in the garden   First post from a refugee from the BBC board by the way.

Apoogies for the above mess. It obviously doesn't work to cut and paste from web sites.

<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1.5em; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: 18px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">You can't use a hosepipe to:

<ul style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; line-height: 18px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Fill water butts or watering cans <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Water public flower beds <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Water public sports facilities <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Wash a car at home <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: disc; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px;">Run a sprinkler <li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; out

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! Well, that's cocked this thread up good and proper. Just discovered that cut and paste does not work like it does on the Beeb site, and there is no message preview sjo you can check before posting. I'll know next time. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/04/hosepipe-ban

They reckon you can in the article above - read from,What can hosepipes still be used for?............Or, read the full thing.

But if your still unsure, email your water company.

Here is a link to the drought Q&A's on the Southern Water website:

http://www.southernwater.co.uk/Environment/WaterResourcesLatest/Drought2012FAQ.asp

As far as I know, it is fine to use a hose attached to a water butt. The ban applies to hoses run from a mains water supply.

You could run a hose to syphon water from your bath, for instance, out of a window and onto your garden.

Several companies now produce pumps to take water from butts and distribute it via a hose, and these should be fine to use.

I am baffled about the person who got fined for using a hose to run his bathwater - presumably used? - down to the garden - what was he fined for?  There are gadgets sold for that very purpose, which are basically hoses with a closure valve on them as far as I can see.

If he had a water meter they may have noticed he had excessive water use, which may imply that the water was not being recycled from the bath.

I have a feeling that the fine story may be apocryphal

Me too. It sounds like gobbledigook.

No it's not gobbledygook.  Where i used to live, Folk thought that using a hosepipe for either draining out water from the bath or off a water butt was fine. some were fined, an article went in the local paper with a headline similar to 'HOSE PIPE BAN MEANS HOSES ARE BANNED. An offical came round to the local gardening club and took questions about it. I left after about 30mins. There was no doubt there was a ban on hosepipes.  As he said they couldn't stop you filling your bath and using a bucket to get the clean water out, which I thought was fine for folk in bungalow but pointless.  i also saw the plans for the new 'oxbridge ark' 330,000 extra houses to be built................... but no plans for reservoirs...... Glad I moved from the ever growing rat run.

The man on the radio from the water company at the start of the hosepipe ban this year said no one had ever been fined as they preferred to just have a word with someone and help them to find alternatives.

Gross use of hoses for golf clubs and sports fields are a different matter.

Maybe chap ought to have a word with the editor of the paper where I used to live. They reported some folk fined.  But maybe that was a scaree tactic......... who knows.