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[CLKD]

Even though we are surrounded by the stuff, water is being rationed in some places.  This, as well as bad parking across the UK, makes my blood boil. 

1959 was hot ...... followed 1975/76. 

Still the water companies haven't made provision for extreme weather situations!  Any1 affected by a ban on hose pipe use can continue to use a pipe to water veg beds as well as newly set plants i.e. trees/shrubs.  As well as topping up fish ponds .  But the companies probably won't tell you!

Water companies never ask house holders how they collect/store water.  We have as many barrels around as is possible as well as washing fruits/salads into a bucket to use on the pot plants.  [cheaper than the gym  ].  Also, those B&B properties that have hot tubs which have to be emptied and cleansed between visitors: surely that's a place to begin!?!?!

I refuse to accept hose pipe bans.  My mental health would be impacted if my plants died  . as my garden is a haven.  When necessary I take cans from the bottom pond whilst refilling with the hose.  Also by watering the plot it enables birds and hedgehogs to dig for worms etc. and we have saucers around for bathing/drinking!  We have thousands of pounds worth of trees, shrubs, plants, flowers here collected over the years. 

Currently any plants that wilt, i.e. astrantias, get a hose round the roots to perk them up.  Two flower towers get gently watered from the top which drips through the 5 layers of 'bedding'. 

[DottyD68]

Early last Sunday I walked round to our village co-op and en route noticed there was obviously a burst mains pipe as water was spurting up through a grid in the road like a fountain. Several dog walkers passed it and ignored it. I decided to call the water company to notify them. This proved more difficult than I expected as the website had me trapped in a loop once I clicked on "contact us". Instead of providing an obvious urgent telephone number it provided a lost of questions related to my "type of query" that I needed to read before it let me access another page. Once i did this it took me to the "contact us" page again and ground hog day on repeat. I persevered and eventually found an emergency number. The customer services rep was more interested in me and where I lived rather than taking details of the gallons of precious water flowing down the road. When she finally got onto the leak she said "is it a big leak?" I was speechless. It probably took half an hour in total for me to report the leak/burst pipe during which time gallons of our precious resource, especially during a heatwave, had just flowed away.

I think we should all do more to protect our water, particularly the water companies. It should be easier to report issues so they are dealt with more quickly and people should be encouraged to flag issues in the same way as if it were a power cut.

[CLKD]

That's awful!  Anglian Water are 'better' at responding.  'fixmystreet' might be the way to go also?

It's the easy target, the householder.  Put up prices, impose 'bans' and do nowt else. 

[sheila99]

Import fewer people then we might have some left. It's yet another of those resources no one considers (like houses, doctor's appointments, land to grow food on etc etc).

[CLKD]

Our land is built on immigrantion.  Our land has always taken in those in need.  Recently they seem to be arriving any which way but this isn't a new phemonmena.  William has a lot to answer for !


I can trace my family back to Gt Grandparents on Mum's side  but that isn't all of the issue.

Building houses in the South without mending pipes and building reservoirs first springs to mind ........ also extraction of water from rivers should be halted.

If the governments of the day had obeyed EU Laws about grey water collection and solar panels on ALL new builds ..........

Some pipe work is Victorian.  As clay dries in particular the earth shrinks allowing for breakages.  More so in recent years.  All the £Ks that these Companies have in their pockets ;-).

[CLKD]

The other issue - after all the wild fires in the last 5 years, why haven't fire breaks been made across the Fells, moors etc. in the UK?  Currently several wild fires being fought by the services in Wales, Scotland and Southern England.  Last year many properties were destroyed  but there doesn't seem to be much forward thinking.