United Utilities announce hosepipe ban - here's what it means for you - MSE News

Former_MSE_Callum · 17 July 2018 at 12:38PM

North west of England water supplier United Utilities has announced that a hosepipe ban will start on Sunday 5 August for its seven million customers...

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'United Utilities announce hosepipe ban - here's what it means for you'

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minislim · 17 July 2018 at 12:58PM

pretty annoyed with this. UU have put my water bills up year on year.
reported record profits year on year and paid their chief executive massive rises.
yet now they are imposing a hosepipe ban.
considering the lack of investment in new storage facilities. why does the customer suffer?

especially when UU sell their water down south?

which begs the question. when will i see a discount in my bills?

as down south they've seen discounts for poor service?

HornetSaver · 17 July 2018 at 1:43PM

Down south? You mean Crewe?

That's more or less as far south as they go.

jamesd · 17 July 2018 at 4:31PM

minislim wrote: »

yet now they are imposing a hosepipe ban. ... why does the customer suffer?

This is part of normal cost saving by water companies so they don't have to provide and charge for lots of water that is seldom needed. Instead, the companies plan to accept hosepipe bans occasionally. Planning for this to happen no more than one year in twenty seems normal and is the plan for the United Utilities area.

However, they are considering reducing the frequency of drought permits use from one year in twenty to one in forty, more details starting on page 97. Their research didn't find significant customer support for making hosepipe bans less frequent.

minislim wrote: »

considering the lack of investment in new storage facilities

According to the current draft Water Resources Management Plan 2019 no new storage is needed because water demand is forecast to drop by 3% between 2020 and 2045 even though the population is forecast to increase from 7.4 to 8.3 million. Demand is expected to have dropped from its 2,500 million litres per day level in 1993 to 1,700. There is a consultation open on the plan and if you prefer higher bills to fund constructing more storage you can give that feedback.

minislim wrote: »

especially when UU sell their water down south?

It's normal for companies to transfer some water to other regions and to charge for that supply. Sometimes it's because it's cheaper for just one of the companies with a shared resource to do the extracting work. They are considering from 2035 selling some to the southern parts of the country that have long term supply shortage risk, in years when there is enough supply, with the revenue saving customers money; there's considerably more about this possibility in the plan and Thames Water indicated in their own plan that a late 2040s start was more likely. Only 7% of customers said that this wasn't an important option to consider.

minislim wrote: »

which begs the question. when will i see a discount in my bills?

as down south they've seen discounts for poor service?

You already see an effective discount from them not providing more capacity than is really needed and occasional hosepipe bans are just part of the range of normal service, not poor service.

jamesd · 17 July 2018 at 4:54PM

It's perhaps worth explaining some things you can still do:

1. wash cars and other vehicles with pressure washers
2. maintain ponds containing fish or other aquatic wildlife in captivity
3. use drip irrigation systems
4. water domestic food crops, including those on allotments
5. water newly laid turf for its first 28 days and new plants for 14 days
6. fill and maintain a new domestic swimming pool or any domestic swimming or paddling pool with covers or an approved water use reduction system
7. remove graffiti with a hosepipe
8. if you hold a blue badge, do just about everything that is otherwise banned

PasturesNew · 17 July 2018 at 5:00PM

Set your alarm for 3am ... sneak out and do it quietly ... crouch and be close to the grass to spray gently.

Water.... leg it.

pineapple · 17 July 2018 at 7:08PM

I note you are still allowed to water your veggies with a hosepipe. Not sure I would dare though. Some passer by is bound to say I was watering the nasturtiums! In any case I'm on a shared water supply with old pipework and low water flow so all that comes out of the hosepipe is a drip. Tbh I think I look ridiculous standing there with my limp hosepipe spewing out water at the grand rate of 4 litres a minute. If my neighbour is cavorting in the bath, doing the laundry or making a brew, make that 2 litres a minute.
Edit: Just read that as I am on the Priority Services Register, I'm exempt anyway so me and my limp pipework are good to go!

jamesd · 17 July 2018 at 8:59PM

Not sure that nasturniums fit the food crop definition but they are edible and grown to be eaten, not just for decoration. Even described as one of the tastiest edible annual flowers.

[Deleted User] · 17 July 2018 at 9:11PM

@jamesd
It's a shame that MSE Staff didn't put the list of things you can still do in their story. That would have been helpful for everyone reading that article.
Thank you for showing them how to be helpful.

badmemory · 17 July 2018 at 10:58PM

Of course if they just plugged some of the leaks we would all be able to use double our normal water. I wouldn't do that but it just makes the point that THEY are chucking our water away whilst we are at least mostly using it not wasting it.

boliston · 17 July 2018 at 11:10PM

surely the answer is to make meters compulsory in all properties as then people who do use a hose will be less wasteful with it.

United Utilities announce hosepipe ban - here's what it means for you - MSE News

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