Hose curbs ridiculed for giving all-clear on new lawns

HOSEPIPE ban rules were last night described as “crazy” as it emerged people with newly laid lawns could still use them to water their grass.

Millions of people have been barred from using hosepipes in their homes to wash cars or replenish gardens amid drought conditions.

It comes as Britain is braced for another heatwave, with highs of up to 35C (95F) expected this week.

South East Water is enforcing a hosepipe ban from Friday, after a Southern Water ban came into force last week.

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that there are a slew of exceptions to the rules, which experts have warned will lead to confusion and inconsistencies.

Hosepipes can still be used to water newly-laid turf in gardens for 28 days after planting “to help them establish”, the South East Water website says, adding: “We would ask if possible to wait for cooler weather to lay new turf when we expect to see demand for water reduce.”

Hot tubs are also exempt, though swimming pools and swim spas are not, the guidance says. Exemptions exist for washing out a wheelie bin, cleaning the inside of a boat and watering pot plants.

Feargal Sharkey, water campaigner and former Undertones frontman, said the rules were “amateurish, confused, mixed-up messaging”.

“There’s so many caveats it might as well not exist,” he said.

Christine Colvin, of the Rivers Trust, said a hot tub was “a luxury use of water” and added: “You can understand people wanting to nurture their gardens, growing food in their gardens, wanting to keep things alive. That doesn’t apply to a hot tub. That just seems crazy.

“I guess that clarity will come with time. It doesn’t help that we don’t have it at the moment.”

She added that water companies did not have a “dividend of public confidence” so they were “trying to give too many exemptions and going softly, softly into this ban”.

With more hot, dry weather forecast for this week, and most of the UK to see very little rain, there are fears of more restrictions. Both Thames Water and Anglian Water have said they have no immediate plans to introduce hosepipe bans, but could be forced to do so if rain did not replenish rivers and reservoirs.

Caroline Gould, of South East Water, said of the exemption for hot tubs that it was asking customers to “consider their usage and to wait until cooler weather and demand for water reduces”.

It comes after George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, called in The Sunday Telegraph for more water companies to introduce urgent restrictions.

Leadership contender Rishi Sunak is understood to be supportive of the position, while his rival Liz Truss is not.