Yesterday I received an update from the Environment Agency (EA) on the hosepipe ban imposed here in the north-west on 9th July.
It seems that, despite recent rainfall, not all reservoirs have been replenished as quickly as it had been hoped. This seems to be the case particularly with the Pennine reservoirs, where water levels remain lower than the EA would expect at this time of the year. This is largely due to the fact that we have had the driest start to the year since 1929. Unfortunately, United Utilities (UU) have therefore confirmed that the hosepipe ban will remain in place until overall reservoir levels have sufficiently recovered.
According to the latest weather forecasts from the Met Office, more rain is expected for the second half of this month, with the North-west possibly receiving above average levels of rainfall. This is expected to help replenish water supplies in the region.
Please do avoid using hosepipes or sprinklers until further notice- you can be fined up to £1,000 for breaking this ban. Should you wish to water your garden, please consider using a watering can. If you would like to wash your car, please do use a bucket and sponge. Disabled customers and blue badge holders are exempt from the ban, which is being kept under constant review and will be lifted as soon as water supplies allow.
johnleechmp.wordpress.com 
I take exception to your August 4 appeal to constituents which falsely implies that anyone using a hosepipe is liable to a £1,000 fine. Please don’t disinform: using a hosepipe is perfectly legal for all applications with the exception of watering gardens and washing cars. It’s legal to use one for putting out fires; for washing down paths and patios; for filling a pond; for putting out fires; for mixing concrete; for watering animals; and much else.
I would like you to correct the false impression you have given.
Thank you.
When I was waiting for a bus in Didsbury village this week I observed a huge waste of water. They were pressure hosing the pavements, water was running down the road. If there is such a shortage that we cannot use domestic hosepipes surely this water use should be limited. We can manage with dirty pavements for a little longer, it would not seem to be an essential use of so much water.
Simon, you must not have read the whole post, because it clearly states “should you wish to water your garden” and “if you would like to wash your car”. This seems pretty clear to me, and I have clearly not given a false impression.
John, you put a full stop at the end of the sentence. It’s the same kind of trick used by the Environment Agency and the water undertakers to give the (false) impression that there is a £1000 fine for using a hosepipe. With respect, you should have said: “Please avoid using a hosepipe (sprinkler is redundant) to water your garden – you can be fined up to £1,000 for breaking this ban.”
I’d just like to say a huge thankyou to Simon Chapman for making it known that you can still use a hose pipe for your pond as the water level had dropped in ours and I was concerned for my fish & frogs. We had a leak from the filter box which was the cause but have now sorted this out.
I appreciate the reasons for why the ban was imposed but I really wish that we weren’t just told what we can’t do, as it would be a great help to many if we were given a list of what we can do also.
By the way I doubt whether anyone has felt the need to water their garden as with all the rain we’ve had lately I shouldn’t have thought it would be necessary.
There are FAQs on the United Utilities website (just google hosepipe ban United Utilities) which make it very clear what is and isn’t permissible during the ban. I found that very useful. Hoep that helps.