Don’t snitch on people who flout hosepipe ban, residents urged

Informing the authorities should be a last resort, says the chief executive of Neighbourhood Watch

RESIDENTS should not “snitch” on people who ignore the recently imposed hosepipe ban, the chief executive of Neighbourhood Watch has said.

John Hayward-cripps urged people to have conversations with their neighbours rather than going behind their backs to the authorities, as such behaviour could create further difficulties.

Water companies have asked householders to call a hotline to report breaches of the restriction that has bee imposed in parts of southern England.

Anyone found to have watered their garden, washed a car or filled a paddling pool could receive a £1,000 fine.

Mr Cripps said: “What is needed is a certain amount of common sense and treating people as you would like to be treated yourself – if you had made a mistake. The best thing when dealing with your neighbours, people who you live amongst and see on a regular basis, is to have a conversation with them.

“Snitching without having any conversation is likely to irritate people.”

He added: “You might want to make your neighbour aware of the ban and explain why it is important to preserve water. We have had the driest winter for a long time, make them aware of the fine they could be facing.

“With the cost of living crisis nobody wants or needs a £1,000 fine.

“It is much better to keep calm and speak in a respectful manner and try to avoid getting angry and stressed because that won’t help.”

He went on: “If people are consistently doing it and you have had a conversation with them and they have ignored you then of course you can report it to your local authority or the water board.

“There is a place for reporting crime but we should be sensible before we take rash action. They are human beings after all.”

The first hosepipe ban came into force yesterday when Southern Water introduced temporary restrictions for its customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The restriction is the first to be put in place in the region since 2012. The company has stressed there is “no direct risk to customer water supply”.

South East Water, which serves 2.2 million customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Berkshire is expected to introduce a ban that will affect 1.3million customers next week.

The last time people were encouraged to inform on their neighbours was during the pandemic, when ministers urged the public to call the police if they spotted people breaching lockdown rules.

But it led to increased tension in some communities, with the police having to intervene to break up violent confrontations.

While breaching a hosepipe ban remains a civil matter that would not normally involve police, there is concern officers could be called in to settle neighbourhood disputes that escalate.

Some forces have warned that such call-outs would create additional work for officers who are overstretched.

With little rain forecast in the immediate future, hosepipe bans could spread across the country, affecting millions of people.

‘With little rain forecast in the immediate future, bans could spread across the UK, affecting millions of people’

Where hosepipe bans have been imposed