The hosepipe ban & YOU

You've been contacting us with your thoughts on the hosepipe ban.

Mark Ayrton from Portsmouth tells us: "I won't be trying to save anything. They're not going to cut my water bill, so if I pay for it - I'll use it."

Marc Holloway from Southampton says: "We have no leaks in our house, but pay through the roof for our water. We should be charging the water companies for their loss."

Kerry Coomber from Carterton adds: "We will be sharing baths - but I will make sure that I get to go first"

And, Sandra Penny from Gosport says: "We never waste water. We save it for the garden. Our fruit and veg comes first."

Water saving expert Jacob Tompkins spoke to Charlotte Wilkins about how to save water in the home.

As water companies prepare to impose hose pipe bans across the South and South East - our reporter Sarah Saunders shows quite how empty our reserves are.

4 water companies in the South will ban the use of hosepipes, as the region struggles to cope with a prolonged drought. Southern Water, Thames Water, South East Water and Veolia South East will fine customers £1000 if they are caught;

• watering a ‘garden’ using a hosepipe;
• cleaning a private motor-vehicle using a hosepipe;
• watering plants using a hosepipe;
• cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe;

• filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool;
• drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use;
• filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe;
• filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain;

• cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises using a hosepipe;
• cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe;
• cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe.