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Sutton and East Surrey Water Hosepipe Ban Restrictions 2012

Updated 31/03/2012

This is the statement Sutton and East Surrey Water have made regarding their hosepipe ban water restrictions starting on April 5th 2012.

We will now use this page as the definitive guide on Sutton and East Surrey Water’s restrictions and exemptions. Please therefore refer back here if you have seen something contradictory on another part of our site which may have been written when other rules applied.

You may comment or ask questions using the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Sutton and East Surrey Water’s statement: (ORIGINAL STATEMENT – SEE BELOW FOR CHANGES FOLLOWING CONSULTATION PERIOD)

Prohibited uses

Using a hosepipe, including using sprinklers, dripper hoses, automatic irrigation systems and similar
devices, for the following purposes:

  • the watering of gardens;
  • cleaning a private motor-vehicle;
  • watering plants in outdoor pots or in the ground under cover on domestic or other non-
  • commercial premises;
  • cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe;
  • drawing water for domestic recreational use;
  • filling or maintaining a domestic pond;
  • cleaning the external walls or windows of domestic premises;
  • cleaning paths or patios;
  • cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces.

Using any means of drawing water, except a handheld container filled from a tap, for the following
purposes:

  • filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool;
  • filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain.

Exceptions from this Notice

The following gardens are excepted from the prohibition in this Notice:

  • Gardens open to the public;
  • An area of grass used for sport or recreation.

The following class of user is excepted from the prohibition in relation to cleaning private motor-
vehicles:

  • Users who clean private motor vehicles for remuneration in the course of a trade or business.

The following class of user is excepted from the prohibition in relation to cleaning walls, or windows,
of domestic premises:

  • Users who clean walls or windows of domestic premises for remuneration in the course of a trade or business.

The following classes of user are excepted from the prohibition in this Notice:

  • Any person who is over the statutory retirement age or is registered disabled and who has submitted to the company a letter from a general practitioner demonstrating a need to use a hosepipe for the prohibited purposes or to fill or maintain a domestic swimming or paddling pool or ornamental fountain.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

By virtue of the Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010:
“Using a hosepipe” includes:

  • Drawing water supplied by the company from a container through a hosepipe; and
  • Filling a container by means of a hosepipe with water supplied by the company.

A “garden” includes:

  • a park
  • a lawn;
  • a grass verge;
  • an allotment garden, as defined in section 22(1) of the Allotments Act 1922;
  • any area of an allotment used for non-commercial purposes;
  • any other green space.

Following the consultation period, amendments have been made to the original notice given above. Here is the latest statement in its entirety:

SUTTON AND EAST SURREY WATER PLC

VARIATION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF WATER “ PHASE 2

Water Industry Act 1991 – Sections 76 & 76a
Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, with effect from 0800hrs on Thursday 5 April 2012 until further notice, the prohibition in the Notice entitled “Prohibition on Use of Water “ Phase 2” and having effect from 0800hrs on Thursday 5 April 2012 is to be varied as follows:

Part 1:    Area in which the use of water is prohibited
Unchanged.

Part 2:    Prohibited uses
Unchanged:

Part 3:    Exceptions from the Notice

The exceptions in the original prohibition are deleted in their entirety and substituted as follows:

“The following devices are excepted from the prohibition in this Notice in relation to the watering of gardens:

  • Automatic irrigation systems, provided that they comply with all of the following conditions:

 

  • The water supply to which the device is connected must be one which is charged to the user by reference to volume by meter belonging to Sutton and East Surrey Water plc;
  • No part of the system may be handheld
  • The system must incorporate a pressure reducing valve;
  • The system must incorporate a time clock control;
  • The system must deliver water by means of a drip or trickle system;
  • The system must not disperse water through the air by means of sprinkler, jet, mister or similar device;
  • The system must deliver water directly either on to the surface of the soil or under the surface of the soil;
  • The system must not cause any surface water run-off.

The following gardens are excepted from the prohibition in this Notice:

  • Gardens open to the public;
  • An area of grass used for sport or recreation.

The following class of user is excepted from the prohibition in this Notice in relation to cleaning private motor-vehicles:

  • Users who clean private motor vehicles for remuneration in the course of a trade or business.

The following class of user is excepted from the prohibition in this Notice in relation to cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises:

  • Users who clean walls or windows of domestic premises for remuneration in the course of a trade or business.

The following class of user is excepted from the prohibition in this Notice in relation to cleaning paths or patios:

  • Users who clean paths or patios for remuneration in the course of a trade or business.

The following classes of user are excepted from the prohibition in this Notice:

  • Any person who has written dispensation from Sutton and East Surrey Water plc as a result of demonstrating a need, arising from disability, medical condition or similar, to use a hosepipe for the prohibited purposes or to fill or maintain a domestic swimming or paddling pool or ornamental fountain.”

Any person who contravenes the Prohibition as varied is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine.

Any person wishing to make representations about this Notice must do so in writing to me at the address below or by email to representations@waterplc.com and must ensure that it is received by Sutton and East Surrey Water plc no later than 0800hrs on Wednesday 4 April 2012.

Michael Hegarty
Operations Director
Sutton and East Surrey Water plc
London Road
Redhill
Surrey
RH1 1LJ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Notice)

The purpose of this Notice is to vary the exceptions to the original Phase 2 prohibition Notice, which has been published and is due to come into force at 0800hrs on 5th April 2012. The variations have come about as a result of the consultation process triggered by the publication of the original prohibition. The variations will take effect at the same time as the original prohibition.

For the sake of simplicity, the entire set of exceptions as varied is reproduced in this Notice, but the differences between the varied exceptions and the original exceptions are:

  • Automatic irrigation systems have been excepted from the prohibition in relation to the watering of gardens, provided that they comply with specified conditions;
  • The commercial cleaning of paths and patios has been excepted;
  • The exception for individuals who have specific needs has been varied to widen the categories of consumer to whom it is available and to allow other forms of proof of need than a GP’s letter (which will still be an acceptable form of proof), but to add a requirement that the exception does not apply until written dispensation has been received from the Company.

Contact details here: Sutton and East Surrey Water

28 replies on “Sutton and East Surrey Water Hosepipe Ban Restrictions 2012”

Questions are now closed for this section as the same questions have been answered many times. Please look through the previous questions and read the rules written at the top of the page.

With reference to a drip feed plant watering system, can this be used if you are not on a metered supply

I have several Large water Butts And Hoselock Pump inside these Waterbutts

. Can I use my own rain water to water the garden via a hosepipe connected to the pump ?.

am i correct in saying years ago you needed a license to use a hosepipe then the water companys decided to do away with the license and charge you in with the use of water if this is correct am i entitled to a refund on my water bill because i cannot use my hosepipe

please why i have not had a reply regading years ago having to pay for a hosepipe then put on the water bill

Hi

I noticed the other day when filling a bucket with a hose that it took a considerable amount of time, a lot longer time than I would use the hose to clean the car. I now estimate I will use about 3 buckets of water to clean the car, this I reckon will be about 4 times the amount of water I was using.

Also what sort sort of rebate will we be receiving?

Can you fill up a swimming pool before the ban, and if so, how can you prove you did it before the ban, if there was a problem?

Hi Karen

You can do this before a ban comes in. I think it would be more a case of the water company being able to prove that you had filled it after the ban started.

Can you tell me what is right and what is wrong regarding
a dripping watering supplie, The mail on Saterday confirms that
Sutton can use the dripping sytems.

Hi Tim

We have now updated the notice given by Sutton and East Surrey Water following the consultation period. Details of accepted irrigation systems can now be found in the text above.

If you have just had a lawn laid is there a 28 day grace period offered if so do i need to let anyone know?

Hi Fran

No grace period given by Sutton and East Surrey automatically. You’d need to contact them to see if they’ll allow it.

Hi Mike

You’ll need to ask Sutton and East Surrey Water directly about this.

Are we allowed to maintain the water level of a pond which contains fish ??
Thank you

Hi Louise

Although the rules above don’t state this, it’s generally accepted that the topping up of ponds containing any animals is allowed as it’s an animal welfare issue.

What are the regulations concerning ‘dripper/seepy’ hoses please? I thought I heard – on Gardener’s Question Time – that use was permitted providing a timer was connected.

Hi Polly

Most water companies seem to be happy with that this time but Sutton and East Surrey Water are not allowing it based on the rules laid out above.

Automatic irrigation systems have been excepted from the prohibition in relation to the watering of gardens, provided that they comply with specified conditions

Can you confirm does a person over the statutory retirement age need to send a letter from the doctor if they need to use a hosepipe?

that advice is wrong. you DO NOT need a GP letter, which for us would cost £30. but you do need to write to waterplc to get their written confirmation before you are exempt.