FIRST REVIEW HOSEPIPE BAN HITS MILLIONS
More curbs could follow as rain set to stay away for rest of month
FAMILIES are to be hit by the first hosepipe ban in six years.
Around seven million households will be covered by the restrictions, which follow the longest heatwave since 1976.
Customers will not be allowed to use a hose to water their garden or plants. Cleaning cars, windows, paths and outdoor surfaces with a hose will also be banned. Offenders face a criminal prosecution and fines of up to £1,000.
The ban by United Utilities in the North West is the first in England since 2012 – when 20million customers were hit.
With the heatwave set to stay, other firms may follow suit. Forecasters yesterday predicted little rainfall until at least August.
Martin Padley of United Utilities said: ‘Despite some rainfall, reservoir levels are still lower than we would expect and, with forecasters predicting hot, dry weather for the rest of July, we are now at a point where we will need to impose some temporary restrictions.
‘It is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are enormously grateful to customers for having helped reduce demand.’
He said that without a period of sustained rainfall the hosepipe
SHAMED Tory minister Andrew Griffiths was told to quit as an MP by his furious constituents last night after he was exposed sending sexually degrading messages to two barmaids behind his wife’s back.
Hundreds have called on him to ‘do the decent thing’ and stand down after it emerged he had pleaded and paid for explicit images and described violent sex acts in detail.
Mr Griffiths, 47, bombarded Imogen Treharne, 28, and her friend with more than 2,000 messages just weeks after his wife Kate gave birth to their first child.
He resigned as minister for small business after details of texts were disclosed in a tabloid newspaper. But he has so far resisted calls to quit as MP for Burton and Uttoxeter, urging constituents to judge him on his ‘actions and achievements during eight years as MP’ rather than a ‘few moments of stupidity’.
His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as he faced calls to stand down from across the political divide.
Cathy Warren, chairman of the local Tory Party’s women’s branch, said: ‘I can only speak personally but, yes, I want him to
‘It shows his lack of a moral compass’
resign, most definitely. He’s shamed us all, he’s shamed his wife and his actions are absolutely deplorable. His attitude towards women is absolutely disgusting.’
Constituents said the messages sent by Mr Griffiths, which included references to beating the women, showed he was not fit to represent them.
Anna Watson, 21, from Burton, said: ‘It shows he has a lack of respect for women. I think I’d feel pretty uncomfortable around him after seeing what he said about these women and what his fantasies are.’
Ed Stanyer, who voted for Mr Griffiths, said: ‘I’m very disappointed and very shocked. Me and my wife had dealings with him and we always thought him to be a good man, very helpful. It makes it even worse that his wife has not long given birth.
‘It shows his lack of moral compass. Him using his power to take advantage of women. I think that sums up a lot about his character.’
A petition has been set up calling for Mr Griffiths to stand down, but there is currently no binding mechanism to get rid of an MP. Constituents will need to wait for the next general election to unseat him should he choose to stay on.
Paul Walker, chairman of the Burton and Uttoxeter Labour party, said Mr Griffiths had no option but to quit. He added: ‘He’s disgraced himself, embarrassed his family and his constituents. He should be taking a long look at himself and considering whether he’s morally capable of continuing as MP.’
Mr Griffiths, MP for the area since 2010, started messaging the women after watching their sexy videos on social media. He called himself f ‘Daddy’ and paid them £700 to send him explicit pictures and videos.
The messages included threats of violence such as: ‘I want her to own you. I want her to tie you up and beat that gorgeous big a** while daddy watches.’ Another said: ‘Are you going to hold [one of the women] down for me while daddy gives her a beating?’ He said his job made him irresistible to women and claimed ‘power is an aphrodisiac’.
Mr Griffiths was a former chief of staff for Theresa May when the party was in opposition. Mrs May’s spokesman said last night it was ‘very clearly
‘My priority now is my family’
the right idea’ for Mr Griffiths to resign as a minister.
The East Staffordshire branch of the Conservative association refused to comment yesterday.
Chairman Conor Wileman told members the group would be supporting ‘Andrew while he addresses his personal issues’. He added: ‘Naturally, all our sympathies are with Kate and (daughter) Alice and we are asking that their privacy is respected.’
Debbie McGhee, 52, who was landlady of the Elms pub in Burton-on-Trent for nine years, said she once barred him following a row in 2015.
‘His comments are disgusting but because of his position, he thinks he is untouchable and can get away with anything. I’m glad he has finally been caught out for his terrible behaviour.’
Mr Griffiths’ four siblings are understood to been left ‘devastated’ by the revelations. One of the shamed MP’s sisters, Megan Barrow, is a Tory councillor on South Staffordshire Council. Mrs Barrow, who was elected to represent the Codsall North ward in 2015, said yesterday she had ‘nothing to say’ about her brother.
Heather Wheeler, the Tory MP in neighbouring South Derbyshire, said it was ‘the right decision’ for Mr Griffiths to resign as a minister, but he was an ‘excellent local MP and I know he will continue to be’.
Mr Griffiths has referred himself to the Tory Party’s Code of Conduct. He has had the whip removed pending an investigation. IT WAS the happiest day of his life, he said.
Andrew Griffiths beamed as he stood next to his bride Kate on their wedding day.
The Burton MP chose the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Houses of Parliament for the venue and had Eric Pickles, then secretary of state for communities and local government, as his best man.
Burton Albion FC chairman Ben Robinson was among the ushers.
Mrs Griffiths, then 42, sparkled in an ivory gown encrusted with a buckle of crystals, a crystal hair band and ivory veil, while guests enjoyed confit of duck, rack of lamb and crème brulee washed down with the couple’s own special wedding beers.
But just five years on, Mr Griffiths is trying to ‘rebuild’ his wife’s trust after he was exposed sending sexually degrading messages to two barmaids. He texted the women more than 2,000 messages on social media just weeks after Mrs Griffiths gave birth to their first child, Alice.
In a statement released after he was exposed in a tabloid newspaper, he said: ‘My priority now is my family, and rebuilding their trust.’ He said the messages were written during a ‘period of great personal pressure and in no way represent my views or actions’.
‘My behaviour fell well below the standards expected of me,’ he added. ‘I hope that people will judge me on my actions and achievements during eight years as MP for Burton and Uttoxeter rather than a few moments of stupidity.’
He said he was ‘undertaking professional treatment to ensure I never make the same mistake again.’ It’s a far cry from the statements issued to his local paper in 2013, happily revealing the details of his recent wedding.
‘It was a fantastic, breathtaking time and the happiest day of our lives,’ he said.
Mr Griffiths said Kate was ‘the love of his life’. ‘It went by in such a flash but it was so memorable,’ he added.
‘It was everything we could have wished for and will be something that we will both remember for the rest of our lives.’
Hymns during the service were Love Divine, All Loves Excelling and Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer. Readings included Song of Solomon by Sarah Bridgman, Mr Griffiths’ then parliamentary assistant. Mr Griffiths added: ‘It was an incredibly personal and moving service for us both and something that will stay with us for ever.’
The evening celebrations were held in a marquee on the terrace at Westminster overlooking the Thames. The couple’s first dance was At Last by Etta James and they went on a honeymoon to Barbados.
The couple met in 2006. It is understood Mr Griffiths was engaged at the time but broke it off to be with Kate.
She was first pictured alongside him at an event in November 2011, when he called for a debate on the closure of a health centre in Burton.
He proposed during a ‘quiet night in’ in 2013 and they married six months later. ‘I was very traditional and got down on one knee,’ he said at the time. ‘Even I have to admit that it was quite romantic.’
Mrs Griffiths has not commented on the scandal.
There was no sign of her at their £300,000 barn conversion in Burton yesterday, but her Facebook profile picture was still a picture of the couple on their wedding day.