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38 replies on “Contact Us”

p.s. I spoke with Rob Baldry of Sutton & East Surrey Water yesterday.

They will allow professional landscapers and gardeners water-in turf for a period of 28 days after laying. Although this situation remains under constant review.

Thank you for helping everyone stay up to date on the immediate drought situation and the hosepipe ban.

The Landscape Juice Network is an open association of landscaping and garden businesses and we are currently campaigning for concessions for professional users when water restrictions are in place.

Our main objective is to secure a 28 day exemption from hosepipe restrictions for the watering-in of freshly laid turf and newly planted trees and plants.

Yesterday we wrote to Caroline Spelman to urge the government to act and grant special dispensations for the landscape trade on the grounds that this ban will adversely affect thousands of small to medium sized businesses (there are over 200,000 land based businesses operating in the UK) as well as have a detrimental effect on the UK’s environment and ecosystems.

As an industry, landscapers and gardeners have been slow to react but here at Landscape Juice we are now leading a very proactive and strong campaign to change how we do our business in the future.

The long term aim of our industry must be one of change and education toward a low dependence on water in our gardens but in the medium to short term it’s imperative we work to protect our current businesses and help them through this crisis.

We have a petition running at the moment: http://www.landscapejuice.com/petition-to-exempt-professional-gardeners-and-landscapers-from-the-hosepipe-ban.html

Phil Voice
On behalf of over 2,540 members of the Landscape Juice Network
http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com

can you tell me if hand car washes what use pressure washers connected of the main water are allowed to stay open

Can your still use a hose to draw from a grey water tank? Can we draw water using a hose from raised water butts?

I run a small dog boarding business out in the middle of the country and have a reed bed sewage filtration system as am not on mains drainage. In order to work so that I do not pollute the watercourse, the reeds have to be kept alive and regularly watered. In winter this is not a problem as I do huge amounts of washing of muddy dog beds and towels, so there is plenty of flow.

In summer, what happens, is the dog paddling pool (approx 20′ x 10′ x 1′) is emptied and cleaned out every three/four days (depending on how muddy!) and drains into the cesspit which then pumps through to the reed beds and keeps them watered.

Will this still be OK?

Hi Marianne

As long as you can justify that the water use is for the welfare of your dogs then you will be fine. Of course as you are a business you are probably exempt anyway.

Thank you very much. It’s hard to be in a thick fur coat in the summer, and they spend a lot of time in the water so it’s a relief to know they can continue!

Hi. We are cleaning 2 companies and we are providing services for commercial and domestic customers in Central, West, North West London. We are doing window cleaning, jetwash cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc. Our Question is: what are the exact restrictions, where are they in place? Throught Greater London or only some boroughs? And until which date? Please give us as many details as possible
Thank you

Hi Daniel

You’d need to ask your local water company about exact locations, though I’m guessing Thames Water would cover your area and therefore you’ll be under hosepipe bans.

With regards what you can still do; everything that doesn’t involve connecting a hosepipe/pressure washer to domestic mains water supplies.

Hi, I am a Commercial Window Cleaner. I clean both business and residential properties. I use a pole fed water system for safety reasons. Can you tell me were I stand as some of my customers have asked.

Thanks

Hi Nick

At your business properties you can do as you wish. At domestic properties you are not allowed to do anything which involves connecting to mains water for the purposes of cleaning. Using a bucket is perfectly OK though.

Can we have a debate on our National Summer Game? You cannot play cricket without water. Period. After a couple of weeks playing on unprepared wickets will be like playing tennis on a road full of potholes. So, the water companies are in effect banning our national sport below top level. The County game and Test side will soon suffer through lack of players coming through because there won’t be any, and the pyramid structure which produces the best sides outside the professional game and thereby the best sides within it, will disintegrate. Quite apart from which thousands of cricketers who would otherwise be playing will be trying to think of something else to do that does not involve driving a car and polluting the air, using oil and wearing out what is left of our roads, and also activities that involve turning a tap on far more than if they were playing cricket. etc etc. So in effect cricket is banned. How do we complain and have exceptions made for sport as, I recall, has been the case in the past?

Hi John

Surely a cricket wicket can be watered using an irrigation system which is perfectly allowed? Also, some water companies are allowing the watering of sporting facilities.

Hello, we are a driveway and patio cleaning company are we allowed to use our customers water supply to clean for our business needs Thank you

Hi Drive Rescue

No, not if that means using a hosepipe/pressure washer connected to your customers’ mains water supply.

I’ve got a great book on Drought gardening (Drought Tolerant Plants – Headline) What I realy like about it is that apart from suggesting hundreds of plants that can cope with dry weather, it actually tells you how to how to make your garden soil hang on to water longer. I’ve been following the regime in the book for three years and I have to say it’s halved the amount of work I need to do in the gardening and as for watering, I reckon I use a 1/3 of the amount of water I used to. Great book, great advice and it works.

Maybe you should not have shut down several water supply sites that you have done. There are several in the Gloucestershire area that would have helped.

Hello,

I work for a company that builds and maintains swimming pools.
This ban could affect our company massively.
What are the rules for businesses?
We top up our customers swimming pools using their hose, and it would obviously be completely unpractical in driving a tanker around!
We build alot of new pools for property developers so can these be filled before a client buys the property or moves in?
Any help you can give me would be much appreciated in these already worrying times.

Hi Lee

I’m afraid that as a business you can’t connect a hosepipe to the mains water supply of a domestic property. Using a tanker seems like the only way to do it to me.

As long as a hosepipe is not connected to a mains water supply you should be fine. Always wise to check with your local water company though.

Can you tell me if the hosepipe ban affects using a hp for filling a water bowser for drinking water for horses, if a person is using my water to do this?

What are the present laws on hosepipe bans ?
Why are the public being kept in the dark on this issue ?
I am slightly disabled and use a water but pump, am I then forbidden to use it and then have to let the water go down the drain before it becomes foul ?

You can use a hosepipe for the cleaning of animals. The ban is only for watering gardens and cleaning cars for private individuals.

Please could you tell me if i can use a hosepipe on my horse to get the mud off as not useing has given him mud rash, the area needs to be kept clean. I live in blackburn. Please email me with a response asap Thanks

Hello,
quick question if I may, I live in Oldham and one of the local cotton mills is currently undergoing demolition to make way for a chartered academy school, the brick dust has been and is still a nightmare, this has been ongoing now constantly for the last two months, I have paved areas to thr front and decked paved areas to the rear of my proprty, including a large koi pond, my question is would it be permissible to jet wash in an attempt to try to keep my property clean?
Kindest Regards
John

I live in Barningham, Suffolk and my neighbour uses her hose every morning and evening soaking her grass and plants! Surely this cannot be right????? We haven’t had rain in our area for weeks so i cannot see how she can get away with using it.

i sell bedding plants within my business (upto around 200 at a time). can i keep using my hose pipe to water them because using a watering can is very time consuming with the rest of a shop to keep running?

can i fill my motor homes water tank with a hosepipe as this is the only feasible way to do it

i have just had garden landscaped and new turf has been laid today where do i stand as it will need watering or it will die. thank you

I believe that the problem we have in North West England regarding water supplies could be resolved by allowing more competition into the market. Useless, sorry, United Utilities are not the most efficient organization I have come across. The authorities need to allow other companies to enter local markets because, as we know, nothing aids efficiency more than competition for customers.

Hello.

We are about to have a hosepipe ban in my area (I live very close to a reservoir & can see why!) I was just wondering about childrens paddling pools? Are we allowed them, I read somewhere that it’s ok to use a hose in a paddling pool, but wanted to check it out before I did so.

Many thanks.

Lorraine