Under previous ‘hosepipe bans’ only the washing of cars and the watering of domestic gardens was restricted. The 2012 restrictions however use new legislation that has been passed since the last drought. This widens the scope of the restrictions and now covers sports pitches that are not used for international matches.
These new restrictions will adversely affect club level rugby, football and bowls clubs.
One method of circumventing the restrictions is to fill storage tanks from rainwater caught off the clubhouse roofs. This requires and investment in larger tanks and some infrastructure, but will pay back the cost of the equipment by being able to use the free water source. With mains water costing £1.50 per cubic meter in some places, the cost of a large galvanised storage tank can be paid back in just a few seasons.
