Don’t punish us gardeners ... fix the water leaks!

WHAT’S happened to England’s green and pleasant land? Head of Ofwat, Rachel Fletcher, has issued a directive that we should stop watering our flowerbeds (Mail).

This is not acceptable. We love our gardens, parks, vegetable patches and allotments. I will do my part by using water butts and having showers instead of baths, but I will not allow my garden to become a concrete jungle.

Ms Fletcher says the water shortage can be attributed to the increase in population resulting in homes being built in drier areas, — but this is not our doing.

The priority should be more reservoirs and fixing leaking water pipes rather than taking the soft option of punishing gardeners. CYRIL WOODROFFE,

Cwmbran, Torfaen. THE water companies have local monopolies, which they exploit to the maximum. They have not increased supply to meet demand, have failed to reduce leaks, charge the maximum allowed and have made vast profits for their shareholders. But it seems Ofwat blames customers for the water companies’ shortcomings.

In fact, it is Ofwat’s duty to protect customers, not suppliers. If water companies fail to supply the water needed, they must have their monopolies withdrawn.

C. MITCHELL, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.

Betrayed over Brexit

THANK you, Theresa May, for proving me right. When the EU referendum results were announced, many of my front-line NHS colleagues were horrified.

I reassured everyone I didn’t believe Brexit had a chance of coming to pass as the establishment had no intention of allowing it, despite the vote. Never has it pained me so much to be right. KATHARINE HARRIS,

address supplied. THE White Paper confirms what I long suspected: Theresa May has been sitting on the same side of the Brexit negotiating table as Juncker and Barnier. The scale of the betrayal, deceit and ineptitude is staggering. Red lines? Red herrings more like.

LAURA DAVIS, Brentwood, Essex. I WAS confident I understood the meaning of the oft-trumpeted phrase: ‘Brexit means Brexit!’

I thought it reflected the vote for severance from the EU and for striking an independent path in law, trade and services, free from the complexities, restrictions and domination of Brussels.

After Chequers, I have to ask: what does this phrase mean? JACQUELINE HUGHES,

Weybridge, Surrey.

People power

THE rescue of the Thai football team has touched hearts worldwide. Cave divers from many countries, the best of the best, dropped everything to help.

It is people who make a difference to lives and ensure the world is a better place. Governments are there to harness the power of ordinary people, not control them.

I would like to thank the rescuers not just for saving the boys, but for showing what can be achieved if the world works together. JAMES WIGNALL, Accrington, Lancs. HOW wonderful to see the quiet dignity of those involved in the Thai cave rescue. Imagine if it had happened in this country: wailing parents would be blaming everyone from the Government down and demanding compensation, egged on by greedy lawyers.

There would be claims for posttraumatic stress from people not directly involved, calls in Parliament for a public inquiry and flowers and teddy bears accumulating at a makeshift shrine. The inevitable lessons would be learned so it never happens again — until the next time. PAUL MORLEY, Long Preston, N. Yorks.

Pay and pray

INSTEAD of selling off cathedrals (Mail), why doesn’t the Church of England raise its already high admission charges?

Then it would be able to complain about low attendance figures and the decline of the importance of religion in family life. Of course, lowering admission prices to attract more people is out of the question.

P. WILLIAMS, Hayes, Middlesex. THE Church could set up a National Trust- style scheme so the public could pay annually for free access to cathedrals. CHRISTOPHER MILLER, Gamlingay, Cambs.

Parrot fashion

IF WOLF-WHISTLING is a hate crime, my African Grey pleads guilty. My husband gets strange looks from passers-by. Rosie the parrot whistles at men as well as women — and he gets the blame. E. JOHNSTONE, Brentwood, Essex. THE only woman who shouldn’t welcome wolf-whistling is Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother. G. VALENTINE, Rotherham, S. Yorks.