No fines ever handed out for hosepipe bans

FLOUTING hosepipe bans comes with a penalty of up to £1,000 – except nobody has ever actually had to pay it.

Water firms can fine offenders under the Water Industry Act 1991. But no company can confirm ever having issued one. Out of England’s 15 water companies, seven said that they have never fined people for breaching hosepipe bans, according to The Times.

These were Thames, Anglian, Wessex, Bristol, Portsmouth, Yorkshire and South West Water. They cover 56 per cent of England’s population – more than 31 million people.

Yorkshire Water said that customers “respond well” to the restrictions, while Thames Water said that it preferred to “have a calm and sensible discussion” with anyone breaking the rules.

Yorkshire this weekend became the first in the North of England to announce a hosepipe ban, following South East Water and Southern Water in the South. Thames Water in London is considering a ban. Of the remaining contacted by seven did not respond, while Southern declined to provide the information. A drought has been declared in half of England after the driest July since 1935 and a second heatwave due to peak this weekend.

Eight of England’s 14 environment agency areas now have drought status.

These are: Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and south London, Hertfordshire and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and East Midlands.

Yorkshire and the West Midlands are expected to join the list later in August.

Water UK, a trade body, said a national ban will save 1.5 billion litres of water a day. Twice this is lost daily via leaks, according to Ofwat, the regulator.