Please don't report hosepipe bans breaches to Hampshire Police

We're asked to contact water companies instead

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 21st Aug 2022

People are being urged not to call police to report breaches of the hosepipe ban currently in place parts of Hampshire.

We're told it's a civil matter after some forces where restrictions are in place started receiving 999 calls.

Southern Water introduced the restriction for areas including the Test Valley on 5th August.

Katie Taylor - from the company - believes peer pressure is influencing behaviour:

"Nobody wants to live on the street where you've got the greenest grass, and everyone else has got brown grass. Who wants to drive around in a shiny, clean car when everyone else's car's gone dirty and everyone knows you've used your water to clean it? We're really hoping that society will police itself."

But Dr Alison Hoyle - from the company - says they'll issue fines if people continue to flout the rules:

"There is always the reserved right that it is enforceable and so there are potential financial penalties, but we would always that we wouldn't need to take it that far."

The water company's asking people to use supplies sensibly this summer, reminding us that even though we've had some rain following the heatwave, the ground is so dry that it takes longer for the water to absorb.

An official drought is still in place for Hampshire, decided by environmental officials.

That isn't in effect in Wiltshire though, and there's no hosepipe ban in place for areas served by Wessex Water at this stage.

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