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Originally Posted by martyh
This is the UK for gods sake innocence is presumed untill otherwise proven ....isn't it? 
Does make one wonder how much money and recourses will be used enforcing the ban and how much the total bill for that will be ,will the water companies start issuing fines to boost their flagging profits? |
Yes it is but innocent people get accused, fined and/or brought to court every day. It's still a hassle even if you're cleared or charges are dropped.
It'll be interesting to see what burden of proof the water companies will rely upon if court cases result. I'd imagine they'd issue warnings first then target anyone reported after being warned try to obtain pictures or video footage.
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Guardian - Water companies say they will be reliant on reports by members of the public for breaches of the ban, and anyone found breaking the legal order could receive a £1,000 fine.
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'Could' being the operative word. I'd imagine there'd be several stages before it got to a fine.
---------- Post added at 12:54 ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadking
I have an official exemption, but how will any neighbours know that?From an EmailDo the water usage figures for a hosepipe refer to where it is fully 'open'? Using a spray on a hosepipe to water a garden would use a lot less. Which figure are the water companies using for their estimates of savings of water usage?
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They won't so you may get reported and have to prove your exemption in the same way that genuine Blue Badge holders sometimes have to do when parking. Nobody's going to knock on your door and demand £1000 just like that. There are many factors which govern how much water things like hoses and showers use. The advice has to be general and is based on average figures for illustrative purposes. The point is to try to alter people's behaviour to save water before things get really and standpipes are required. Hosepipes and sprinklers use a lot of water and so are the main focus of the ban.