South East Water - Statutory Notice For Temporary Use Ban

Restricted Hosepipe Use (What you can’t do)

A “hosepipe” means anything designed, adapted or used to serve the same purpose as a hosepipe. This means that garden sprinklers and irrigation systems (outside of the exception), connected to the mains water supply, are all considered to be hosepipes, together with anything attached to them like pressure washers.

Exemption

((Pre-approved exemptions for certain categories of people or uses of water – if one of these applies to you then you can use your hosepipe for this reason)

Any restricted use

People who may find it hard to make adaptations and are registered with the South East Water’s Priority Service Register will be granted an automatic exemption to any of the restrictions and will receive notification of this directly. If you believe you should be on the Priority Services Register please go to

www.southeastwater.co.uk/psr to register.

Any restricted use

Where using a hosepipe for any of the restricted purposes is required for unavoidable health and safety, such as removing or minimising any risk to human or animal health or safety, or preventing or controlling the spread of causative agents or disease, this will not be restricted.

Any restricted use

Using a hosepipe where the welfare and/or health and safety of animals including fish is paramount will not be restricted

Any restricted use

Using a hosepipe that is connected to a water butt or other recycled water storage system will not be restricted

a

Watering a garden using a hosepipe

A “garden” is a private or public garden, a lawn, a park; a grass verge; an area of grass used for sport or recreation; an allotment used for non- commercial purposes; and any other green space.

A garden is not:

 Agricultural land,

 Land used in the course of a business for growing any crops, fruits, vegetables or other plants for sale or commercial use;

 Land used for National Plant Collection;

 A temporary garden or flower display

 Using a hosepipe to water an area of grass or outdoor artificial surfaces used for sport or recreation (on the active strip/ playing area – not the whole grounds) when undertaken outside of daily peak hours that occur 8am to10am and 5pm to 9pm.

 Drip or trickle irrigation watering systems, fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer, that are not handheld, that place water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface, without any surface run off or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist; a fixed watering

(i.e. on show to the public for no more than 7 days); or

 Plants in an outdoor pot or in the ground under cover (under cover being in a greenhouse, outbuilding or under a permanent canopy).

system; use of watering cans and not hoses

 Watering of new lawns at domestic premises, where this cannot reasonably be undertaken with a watering can and the turf was laid before the onset of the ban, for a period of 4 weeks after being laid and when undertaken outside of daily peak hours that occur 8am to 10am and 5pm to 9pm.

 Watering trees, whips, saplings and hedging planted before the ban, in the last planting year, where this cannot be reasonably done by way of a watering can.

 Water food crops at domestic premises or private allotments, where this cannot be reasonably done by watering can.

b

Cleaning a private motor-vehicle (or a trailer for such a vehicle) using a hosepipe

 Where the cleaning is done as a service to customers in the course of a business or to clean public service or goods vehicles

 Private motor vehicle does not mean taxis or goods vehicles or commercial vehicles

c

Watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe

 Watering plants (crops, vegetables or fruit) that are grown or kept for sale or commercial use, National Plant Collections or temporary garden or flower displays;

 Drip or trickle irrigation watering systems, fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer, that are not handheld, that place water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface, without any surface run off or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist; a fixed watering system; use of watering cans and not hoses

d

Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe

 Where this is done as a service to customers in the course of a business or to clean public service or goods vehicles

 This will not apply to the inside of your boat.

e

Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool

 Where you do this with a water conservation recycling system or hand held container

 Filling or maintaining a permanent swimming pool where necessary in the course of its construction or where it is designed, constructed or adapted for use in the course of medical treatment

 When the pool is within places of worship or community pools and when they are used as part of a religious ceremony.

f

Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use (such as hot tubs of all kinds and inflatable paddling pools)

 Filling a fixed structure from empty after construction or significant refurbishment. In this case significant refurbishment should be treated as equivalent to construction. Once it has been refilled then a hosepipe cannot be used for any subsequent filling.

g

Filling or maintaining a domestic pond (man-made or natural) using a hosepipe

Where this is for the welfare of the fish or aquatic animals in the pond

h

Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (including a cascade or any other display of moving water, and includes filling by permanent plumbing)

Where this is used as part of recognised religious practices

i

Cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises using a hosepipe

where this is done as a service to customers in the course of a business or to clean public service or goods vehicles

j

Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe

where this is done as a service to customers in the course of a business or to clean public service or goods vehicles

k

Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe

where this is done as a service to customers in the course of a business or to clean public service or goods vehicles