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AppendicesDraft Drought Plan: Statement of Response
Statement of Response 18 May 2012to Draft Drought Plan Main Report 2012
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Table of contents
Appendices
A. Copy of consultation questionnaire from the Draft Revised Drought Plan 3
B. List of organisations and individuals consulted 8
C. Schedule of Respondents 14
D. Drought Plan Customer Research Final Report 16
E. Water Restrictions and Exceptions effective from April 5th 2012 143
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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A. Copy of consultation questionnaire from the Draft Revised Drought Plan
Respondent details
Name
Job title (if applicable)
Organisation (if applicable)
Address
Telephone
Respondent category (Please tick appropriate category)
Member of Public Government Agency / Statutory Body
County / District / Unitary Authority / Regional Assembly Action / Resource Group / Voluntary /
Charitable Group
Parish/ Town Council MP/ MEP
Private Sector Other
Where other, please specify...
Location
In which of Southern Water’s supply areas are you situated / is of most relevance to you?
Western – Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Central – Sussex (North, Worthing, Brighton)
Eastern – Kent and Sussex Hastings
Western
Central
Eastern
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Key consultation questions raised in Draft Drought Plan
Yes
No 1 Do you consider that Southern Water’s approach to monitoring
drought and setting the triggers for action is suitable and sets the right balance between flexibility and certainty over the drought triggers? Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Yes No
2 Do you recall the drought of 2004-07?
What if anything did you feel went badly/well with how Southern Water managed that drought? Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Yes No
3 Do you understand the new Temporary Ban restrictions process, which replaces the old hosepipe bans, or do you feel further explanation is required? Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments or concerns about restrictions?
Yes
No
4 Do you have concerns about the implementation of restrictions, or are there any restrictions identified in Table 6.1 (in this report) that you feel it would not be fair to implement? Please provide details and justification for any exemptions/concessions you consider necessary. Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Yes No
5 Do you feel it is right to delay implementing restrictions for certain customers (e.g. small businesses) until there are severe drought conditions? Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Yes No
6 Do you think the proposed phasing of restrictions in Table 6.1 (in this report) is appropriate?
Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Yes
No
7 The introduction of emergency demand measures such as standpipes and rota cuts is only considered in the event of an unprecedented drought event (i.e. a drought that is significantly worse than anything recorded in the past). Do you think it is ever acceptable to introduce them?
What are your views on the acceptability of such measures? Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Yes
No
8 Do you think the balance between customer measures (Temporary Bans on water use etc.) and actions that might affect the environment (e.g. reducing environmental flows in rivers) is appropriate?
How might you change the order of implementation and/or the triggers that are used?
Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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9 Do you feel Southern Water has covered all potential drought intervention options?
If not, please provide additional information.
Yes
No
Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
10 Do you have specific concerns about any of the drought options for the area?
Yes
No
Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
11 What do you consider to be good/bad practice in terms of the communication of drought events and activities?
Please add your comments here:
12 Do you feel that all the challenges for drought planning specific to Southern Water have been considered and addressed in the Drought Plan?
Yes
No
Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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13 Do you understand the content of the Drought Plan, and if not, what areas would you like to see clarified?
Yes
No
Don’t know / no view
Any additional comments?
14 Do you have any other comments you would like to make?
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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B. List of organisations and individuals consulted
The following table presents a full list of those who were consulted following publication of the Draft Drought Plan. In addition to those listed, the following were also consulted:
Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI); Waterwise Partnership for Urban South Hampshire; NHS South Central and NHS South East Coast; 298 Parish Councils; 311 Fisheries or Angling Clubs; 69 Members of Parliament/Members of the European Parliament; 82 Citizens Advice Bureaus; 47 Sports and Interest Groups; 20 Horticultural Bodies; 8 Economic development bodies including Regional Chamber’s of Commerce; 6 Faith Groups; and 4 Car Wash or Automobile Associations.
Category Legislation reference Organisation
Statutory DP Regs 2005 2(2)(a) Defra
Environment Agency
Ofwat
Regional development agency DP Regs 2005 2(2)(b) All RDAs within Southern Water’s supply area have since been dissolved.
Elected regional assembly DP Regs 2005 2(2)(c) The South East England Regional Assembly was dissolved on 31 March 2009.
Local authority DP Regs 2005 2(2)(d) Adur District Council
Arun District Council
Ashford Borough Council
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council
City of Brighton & Hove Council
Canterbury City Council
Chichester District Council
Crawley Borough Council
Dover District Council
East Hampshire District Council
East Sussex County Council
Eastbourne Borough Council
Eastleigh Borough Council
Fareham Borough Council
Gosport Borough Council
Gravesham Borough Council
Hart District Council
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Category Legislation reference Organisation
Hampshire County Council
Hastings Borough Council
Havant Borough Council
Horsham District Council
Isle of Wight Council
Kent County Council
Lewes District Council
Maidstone Borough Council
Medway Council
Mid Sussex District Council
New Forest District Council
Rother District Council
Rushmoor Borough Council
Sevenoaks District Council
Shepway District Council
Southampton City Council
Swale Borough Council
Test Valley Borough Council
Thanet District Council
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Waverley Borough Council
Wealden District Council
West Sussex County Council
Winchester City Council
Worthing Borough Council
General DP Regs 2005 2(2)(g) Action with Communities in Rural Kent (formerly Kent Rural Community Council)
Alliance Environment Agency
Angling Trust
Benfield Wildlife Conservation Group
Bexhill Environmental Group
Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership
Brighton Conservation Volunteers
Brighton Urban Wildlife Group
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
Campaign to Protect Rural England, Kent Branch
Campaign to Protect Rural England: Sussex Branch (CPRE Sussex)
Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
Commonwork
CPRE Hampshire
CPRE Kent
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Category Legislation reference Organisation
CPRE South East
CPRE South East
CPRE Sussex
CPRE Sussex
Darenth River Preservation Society
East Blatchington Pond Conservation Society
East Hampshire Environment Network
English Heritage
Environmental Protection UK
Friends of Bevendean Down (FOBD)
Friends of Blaker's Park
Friends of Queens Park
Friends of Sheepcote Valley (FSV)
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Tidemills & Newhaven Eastside Conservation Group
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve Conservation Group
Highwoods Preservation Society (HPS)
Itchen Hamble Countryside Project
Itchen Navigation Project
Kent Biodiversity Partnership
Kent Wildlife Trust
Kentish Stour Countryside Project
Lewes District Friends of the Earth
Medway River Users Association
National Trust Friends of Devils Dyke
Natural England
North Kent Environmental Planning Group (NKEPG)
North Wey (Hants) Preservation Society
Powdermill Trust for Nature Conservation
Remade South East
River Adur Conservation Society (RACS)
River Nailbourne Preservation Society
River Wey Trust
Romsey and District Society
Rother Environmental Group (REG)
RSPB
RSPB (Pulborough Brooks)
RSPB South East
Sussex Otters and Rivers Partnership
Sussex Ouse Conservation Society (SOCS)
Sussex Wildlife Trust
Thames And Medway Canal Association
Thames Anglers Conservancy
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Category Legislation reference Organisation
Thames Angling Preservation Society
Thameside Works Angling and Preservation Society
The Havant and Bedhampton Pollution Prevention Campaign
Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC)
Woodland Park Community Group
WWF-UK
Navigation DP Regs 2005 2(2)(l) Accessible Boating Association
Association of River Trusts
Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs
Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership
Boat Jumbles Association
Boaters Christian Fellowship
British Canoe Union
British Waterways South East
Chichester Ship Canal Trust
Darenth River Preservation Society
DBA The Barge Association
Fish Legal (fomerly the Anglers Conservation Association)
Fleet Pond Society
Inland Waterways Association
Itchen Hamble Countryside Project
Kent & East Sussex Canal Restoration Group
Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership
Little Stour & Nailbourne River Management Group
Medway Rivers Users Association
Narrowboat Trust Ltd
National Association of Boat Owners
National Community Boats Association
River Beane Preservation Society
Royal Canoe Club
Save Our Waterways (SOW)
Southampton Canal Society
Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society
Sussex Ouse Conservation Society
Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust
Thames and Medway Canal Association
The Canal Group
The River Wey Trust
The Waterways Trust
Waterway Recovery Group
Consumer organisation DP Regs 2005 2(2)(m) Consumer Council for Water
Licensed water suppliers No reference in legislation Albion Water
Anglian Water Group
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Category Legislation reference Organisation
Bristol Water Plc
Cambridge Water Plc
Cholderton & District Water Company
Dee Valley Water Plc
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Northumbrian Water Group Plc
Portsmouth Water Ltd
Sembcorp Bournemouth Water
Severn Trent Plc
South East Water Ltd
South Staffordshire Water Plc
South West Water Ltd
Sutton and East Surrey Water Plc
Thames Water Ltd
United Utilities
Veolia Water UK
Wessex Water Services Ltd
Yorkshire Water Services Ltd
Emergency services No reference in legislation East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Kent Fire and Rescue Service
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Police
Kent Policy
Sussex Police
Trade associations and consumer groups
No reference in legislation Age UK
British Association of Landscaping Industries
British Horseracing Authority
British Marine Federation
British Swimming Pool Federation
British Turf and Landscape Irrigation Association
Car Wash Campaign Group
Consumers Association
Defence Estates
England and Wales Cricket Board
Federation for Window Cleaners
Fitness Industry Association
Garden Centre Association
Health and Safety Executive
Local Government Association
National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Category Legislation reference Organisation
National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd
National Trainers Federation
Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association Limited
Planning Inspectorate
Racecourse Association Limited
Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Yachting Association
The English Golf Union
The Garden Industry Manufacturers Association
The Horticultural Trades Association
The Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association
The Water Jetting Association
Turfgrass Growers Association
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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C. Schedule of Respondents
The following table presents a full list of those who responded to the publication of the Draft Drought Plan.
Defra Response Number Name of responder
1 Sussex Enterprise
2 Bewl Bridge Flyfishers Club
3 Johanne Palache (individual)
4 Brighton Conservation Volunteers
5 Bromley (Kent) and District Angling Society
6 London Fire Brigade
7 Stephen Abott (individual)
8 NHS Sussex
9 www.teenshealthinfo.com - ignored
10 Car Wash Association
11 Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust
12 The Horticultural Trades Association
13 R G Spencer (Kingston Parish Council)
14 Billinghurst Parish Council
15 Turfgrowers Association
16 Sue Carruthers (individual)
17 Adam Kalinowicz (individual)
18 National Farmers Union
19 Kevin Thomas (individual)
20 Royal Yachting Association
21 Kent Cricket Board
22 M Newbery (individual)
23 Andrew Birch (individual)
24 Tony Mazey (individual)
25 Hempstead Allotment Society
26 Sussex County Cricket Club
27 Gapfhhy - ignored
28 Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council
29 Chatham and District Leisure Gardeners Association
30 Sussex Cricket Board
31 BOXHARRY TEST - ignored
32 Slindon Parish Council
33 Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council
34 Southern Railway Ltd
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Defra Response Number Name of responder
35 Southwater Cricket Club
36 Hook Cricket Club
37 Isle of Wight Council
38 Test Valley Borough Council
39 East Sussex County Council
40 Campaign to Protect Rural England Hampshire
41 Ferring Parish Council
42 Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust
43 The Test and Itchen Association
44 Southern Water – Durrington
45 Portsmouth Water
46 Natural England
47 Crowhurst Parish Council
48 English Heritage
49 Environment Agency
50 Brighton & Hove City Council
51 Consumer Council for Water
52 West Sussex County Council
53 Crowhurst Cricket Club
54 Hampshire County Council
55 Findon Cricket Club
56 Rottingdean Cricket Club/Palmer Cricket Club
57 Les Williamson (individual)
58 Tess Lees (individual)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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D. Drought Plan Customer Research Final Report
Customer research on
Southern Water’s draft
Drought Plan
Draft report to Southern Water, 11 May 2012
20A Kings Road, St Albans AL3 4TG T 01727 838405 M 079800 42381 E [email protected]
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Contents
________________________________________________________________________
Executive summary i
1 Introduction 1
2 Knowledge and feelings about drought and restrictions 6
3 Views about the phasing of measures and restrictions in the draft
Drought Plan
20
4 Conclusions 44
Annex A Profile of focus group participants
Annex B Topic guide used in focus groups
Annex C Factsheets used in focus groups
Annex D Framework for analysis for focus groups
Annex E Questionnaire for domestic customers
Annex F Questionnaire for non-domestic customers
Annex G Results from the survey with domestic customers
Annex H Results from the survey with non-domestic customers
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Executive summary ___________________________________________________________
1 Introduction
Background and aims
As part of the consultation on its draft Drought Plan, Southern Water decided
to go beyond the standard approach to consultation by hearing directly from
customers. It therefore commissioned the customer research described in this
report.
The customer research addressed the following questions.
What do customers know and feel about droughts and restrictions?
What are customers‟ views about the phasing of measures and restrictions
in the draft Drought Plan?
What are customers‟ preferences about possible ways of communicating
with them about drought and restrictions?
Method
There were three components to the customer research: focus groups with
domestic customers, a telephone survey with domestic customers, and a
telephone survey with non-domestic customers.
Seven focus groups were run with Southern Water domestic customers. In total
52 customers took part. All focus groups were run in areas where Southern
Water is responsible for both water and waste water. Two were run in areas
where the universal metering programme is being rolled out and one in the Isle
of Wight. To ensure that we heard a range of views, we selected participants
to include metered and unmetered customers, of different ages, from different
socio-economic groups, with different levels of discretionary water use, and
with different levels of concern about water shortages. Participants were
given a cash incentive for attending to encourage a wide range of customers
to take part, not only those who were keen to have their say.
The focus groups covered the following issues.
We began by asking participants about recent droughts and restrictions
they had experienced.
We introduced the following three key issues from the draft Drought Plan.
After introducing each issue, we asked participants for their views about it.
- We explained that Southern Water plans to introduce restrictions before
increasing abstraction
- We explained that Southern Water plans to introduce restrictions on
domestic customers before non-domestic customers
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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- We showed the restrictions that Southern Water plans to introduce in
each phase: drought (phase 1), severe drought (phase 2), and very
severe drought (phase 3).
Finally we discussed several issues around communicating about drought
and restrictions, including a name for temporary bans.
Two telephone surveys were run with Southern Water customers, one with
domestic customers and the other with non-domestic customers whose
businesses/organisations depend on water (i.e. car washes, window cleaners,
garden centres and nurseries, and public park administrators). There were 402
respondents on the domestic customer survey and 98 on the non-domestic
customer survey.
In the survey we gave similar information to the focus groups. The key
questions in the surveys asked respondents:
To what extent they would comply with restrictions
To what extent they expected to be affected by restrictions
Whether they supported introducing restrictions before increasing
abstraction
Whether they supported introducing restrictions on domestic customers
before non-domestic customers
Whether they supported the proposed phasing of certain restrictions,
including restrictions which had proved controversial in the focus groups.
2 Knowledge and feelings about droughts and restrictions
High level of compliance with restrictions
There was a high level of compliance with restrictions among domestic
customers, with almost nine in ten saying on the survey that they would
comply all the time. This seemed to be due to a combination of factors: the
impacts of restrictions would be negligible for most households; there is social
pressure to comply; there is a fear of fines; and there is a feeling among some
customers that restrictions are justified. Support for restrictions was lower
among commercial customers but six in ten said that they would comply all
the time.
During previous bans, some domestic customers had simply stopped cleaning
their car, watering their garden, and so on. Others had switched to a more
efficient method (e.g. a watering can), used rain water or grey water instead
of tap water, or used water away from home (e.g. a commercial car wash).
There was a mismatch between what participants said they themselves did
and what they thought other people did when restrictions were in place. In
almost every focus group, participants knew of or at least suspected that other
people had broken the rules during a ban. There were instances of, for
instance, neighbours being spotted watering their garden with a hosepipe at
night. While it is possible that participants over-reported their own compliance,
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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there are several reasons why we believe they may have over-estimated other
people‟s non-compliance.
Meters tend to lead to a smaller response to restrictions
Customers who had recently had meters installed through UMP tended to
think that they would reduce their water use less during future bans than they
had in the past. This was mainly because they felt that they were more careful
with water since moving to a meter. There would therefore be less room to
reduce their water use when a ban is introduced.
However, views differed about the impact of meters. There were customers
who said that being on a meter had made no difference to their water use,
and would therefore make no difference to their response to restrictions. It
was even suggested that being on a meter might lead to greater compliance
with restrictions, if customers believe that non-compliance could easily be
detected by Southern Water looking at their meter.
Going beyond restrictions: reducing water use indoors and after restrictions
end
Some participants had reduced their indoor water use when restrictions were
in place. No one reported installing water saving devices indoors but there
were examples of participants changing their everyday behaviour, mainly in
the bathroom. These changes came about because they had noticed
advice to reduce their water use indoors; and they had learnt about (or
become more aware of) limits to water supplies so saw the sense in cutting
back their water use wherever possible.
In some cases changes to indoor and outdoor water use were maintained
after restrictions had ended. This was because new water use habits had
been formed which persisted; water butts had been fitted which were still
being used; and awareness of limited supplies stayed with customers and
continued to affect their water use.
Small impact on households, large impact on businesses
On the survey, three quarters of domestic customers expected that restrictions
would have little or no effect on their household. In contrast, about three
quarters of commercial customers expected that restrictions would affect their
business somewhat or a great deal.
There were several reasons why domestic customers were not bothered about
the personal impact of restrictions. In some cases they did not use water
outdoors. In other cases they were happy to stop using water outdoors,
seeing restrictions as, for instance, a good excuse not to clean their car. Even
in cases where using a hosepipe was troublesome, participants sometimes felt
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
21
that the inconvenience was trivial when set against the need to protect
resources so that water would continue to be available for the essentials.
Where participants did complain about the practical impacts of a hosepipe
ban, their complaints centred around watering their garden and to a lesser
extent filling their paddling pool. Garden lovers and people who had just laid
turf or put in new plants wished to continue watering their gardens. Relying on
a watering can was far from ideal particularly if they had disabilities and/or
large areas that needed watering.
Necessity, effectiveness, and fairness of restrictions questioned
Participants were sometimes annoyed by restrictions irrespective of how much
they were personally affected by them. They questioned whether restrictions
are a necessary, effective, and fair way of dealing with drought, as
summarised in the three bullet points below.
Restrictions are not really needed They are imposed too soon, left in place
too long, or would not be necessary at all if Southern Water managed
water resources more effectively.
Restrictions are not fair Customers should not be „penalised‟ for Southern
Water‟s failure to provide all the water they need, particularly because
they are paying for water so are entitled to use it as they wish. It is also
unfair if certain activities that use water are permitted when other activities
that matter more to customers have already been banned; if customers
who break the rules get away with it while other customers are making do
without their hosepipes; and if customers who are ordinarily water efficient
have to suffer alongside customers who are not.
Restrictions are not effective for protecting supplies Some customers ignore
restrictions which is problematic because the fewer customers that comply,
the less water saved. Even if they do take notice, switching from a
hosepipe to, say, a watering a can does not actually use much less water.
The most widespread cause of resentment was a strongly held belief that
Southern Water could manage supplies better by, for instance, building more
reservoirs and doing more to fix leaks.
Some objections were based on lack of knowledge (e.g. about the triggers for
restrictions) and misconceptions (e.g. about leakage levels). In a few focus
groups there was time at the end to answer questions or address
misconceptions, and participants tended to respond positively to the
additional information they were given.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
22
Knowledge about drought and restrictions
There was a tendency to think that restrictions had happened more frequently
and recently than they had. While this led to a little annoyance at restrictions
happening too often, it suggests that restrictions and related issues are well
publicised and are on customers‟ radar.
Knowledge about restrictions varied a great deal. Customers who had
experienced recent restrictions tended to be better informed about them.
For instance, in Horsham participants said they knew when the ban started,
when it ended, and what they were supposed to do differently while it was in
place. However, in Winchester there was much less clarity.
Participants did not always equate hosepipe bans with droughts. For instance,
for some participants droughts were seen as unusual and serious events, while
hosepipe bans were thought to happen more frequently.
There was very little awareness about the steps that Southern Water takes to
deal with drought. When we asked participants about this, they tended to
answer by saying what they thought Southern Water should be doing. These
suggestions included steps that are already being taken.
3 Views about the phasing of measures and restrictions in the draft
Drought Plan
Support for introducing restrictions before increasing abstraction
There was strong support across the sample for the current plan to introduce
restrictions before increasing abstraction. This was mainly based on
recognition that there are limits to the amount of water available, and
concern that increasing abstraction could lead to environmental damage
that could be permanent or difficult to reverse.
Support for restricting non-essential domestic activities as soon as restrictions
are needed
On the whole, customers were broadly comfortable with the domestic
activities identified in the draft Drought Plan being restricted as soon as
restrictions are needed. These activities tended to be seen as non-essential so
customers could forgo them without much difficulty.
Support for later restrictions on important commercial activities
There was sympathy for businesses that rely on water, and a great deal of
concern about how restrictions would impact on jobs in these businesses. It
therefore seemed right that restrictions on window cleaners, car washes, and
garden centres should be imposed as late as possible.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Support for later restrictions on water-efficient commercial activities
When customers noticed that Southern Water proposed to restrict water-
efficient activities later, this made sense to them. It was seen as rewarding
good behaviour. There was also not much point in restricting these activities
earlier as it would save little water and therefore contribute little to dealing
with drought. However, there was a low level of awareness of water efficient
methods of using water, such as drip and micro-irrigation for watering plants,
and water-fed poles for cleaning windows.
Opposition to later restrictions on non-essential commercial activities
Customers mainly expressed annoyance about restrictions on domestic
activities when they saw that commercial activities that were equally
unimportant (or even less important) would be restricted later. They voiced
their annoyance strongly and repeatedly. It seemed unfair that watering
outdoor plants and cleaning windows should get special treatment when they
took place at a business rather than at home. There was also opposition to
late restrictions on removing graffiti and cleaning commercial vehicles which
were just intended to make things look better. Customers argued for these
restrictions to be introduced at the same time as restrictions at home, with
some caveats (for instance where jobs would be affected).
Mixed views about the phasing of restrictions on allotments and, to a lesser
extent, parks
It was sometimes argued that allotments and to a lesser extent parks have a
different status from private gardens as they support food growing and wildlife,
and should therefore be treated differently. However, the majority of
customers backed the current plan to introduce restrictions at allotments and
parks at the same time as restrictions at home.
Mixed views about watering national and international sports grounds
Watering national and international sports grounds aroused strong but mixed
feelings. On the one hand, customers objected to the large amount of water
they thought would be used; thought it would not be a serious problem if
matches were cancelled or if they had to be played on sports grounds that
had not been watered; and argued that water should be sourced elsewhere.
On the other hand, customers recognised the needs of sports fans and the
economic benefits of large sporting events, particularly occasional high profile
events. Given the strong feelings in both camps, restrictions on national and
international sports grounds are likely to prove controversial whether they are
introduced early or late.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
24
Cut back rather than ban
Where customers were concerned about the negative impacts of restrictions,
they sometimes suggested cutting back rather than banning activities to
minimise the impacts. In the draft Drought Plan this approach is only taken in
the proposed restriction on watering national and international sports grounds.
Customers suggested using it more widely. For instance, plants at nurseries
could be watered more sparingly and commercial vehicles cleaned less often
with hosepipes, rather than not at all.
4 Conclusions
Factors affecting savings during restrictions
The customer research identified factors which are likely to affect changes in
water use during restrictions, including knowledge and feelings about
restrictions. These factors are summarised in Table 1.
Table 1 Summary of main factors affecting savings during restrictions
Factors supporting
substantial savings when
restrictions are introduced
Challenges to achieving substantial
savings when restrictions are introduced
High level of
compliance among
domestic customers
Willingness to go
beyond what is
required and make
small changes to indoor
water use
Understanding about
what restrictions cover
and that they are
compulsory among
customers who recently
experienced them
Restrictions well
publicised and on
customers‟ „radar‟
Universal metering likely to result in
smaller savings than the past when
restrictions are introduced because
some customers have already
reduced discretionary water use
But universal metering could lead to
higher levels of compliance if
customers worry that non-compliance
can be detected somehow through
their meter
Objections to restrictions – are they
really necessary, effective and fair?
But objections based on
misconceptions and lack of
knowledge that can be addressed
through communications
High level of concern about impacts of
restrictions among businesses that
depend on water
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
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Views about the phasing of measures and restrictions in the draft Drought Plan
There were several aspects of the draft Drought Plan that customers tended to
support, tended to oppose, and where views differed and there were strong
feelings on both sides. These aspects are summarised in table 2.
Table 2 Summary of feedback about the draft Drought Plan
Aspects that customers
tended to support
Aspects where
customers’ views
differed
Aspects that
customers tended to
oppose
1. Introducing
restrictions before
increasing
abstraction
2. Restricting non-
essential domestic
activities as soon as
restrictions are
needed
3. Restricting when
drought is severe:
- Commercial
activities that could
impact on jobs
- Commercial
activities that are
water efficient
Several restrictions,
particularly
1. Watering
allotments
2. Watering
national and
international
sports grounds
Restricting when
drought is severe
commercial activities
that are not seen as
important i.e.
1. Commercial
activities that are
identical to
domestic activities
restricted earlier
2. Commercial
activities with
„cosmetic‟
purposes
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
26
1 Introduction ___________________________________________________________
1.1 Background and aims
As part of the consultation on its draft Drought Plan, Southern Water decided
to go beyond the standard approach to consultation by hearing directly from
customers. It therefore commissioned the customer research described in this
report.
Southern Water‟s main interest was in hearing responses to its proposed use of
temporary bans. This is one of the main changes that it has made since its
2008 Drought Plan, as a result of changes introduced in the Flood and Water
Management Act 2010. It wished to understand what customers think about
the proposed phasing of restrictions that can be introduced through
temporary bans.
In addition, Southern Water wished to understand customers‟ starting position
i.e. what they feel and know about drought and restrictions at the moment. It
also wanted to understand how best to communicate with customers about
drought and restrictions.
The customer research addressed the following questions.
What do customers know and feel about droughts and restrictions?
What are customers‟ views about the phasing of measures and restrictions
in the draft Drought Plan?
What are customers‟ preferences about possible ways of communicating
with them about drought and restrictions?
Please note that findings about communicating with customers have not been
included in the report but will be provided shortly.
1.2 Overview of the customer research
There were three components to the customer research, summarised in Table
1.1 below.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
27
Table 1.1 Three components of the customer research
Component Research questions addressed Timing of
fieldwork
Focus
groups with
domestic
customers
(1) How customers have responded to
drought and restrictions in the past, and
what they feel and know about them
(2) What customers think about the phasing
of the following measures and restrictions
proposed in the draft Drought Plan
- Introducing restrictions before increasing
abstraction
- Introducing restrictions on domestic
customers before restrictions on non-
domestic customers
- Whether any of the activities restricted in
drought (phase 1), severe drought (phase
2), and very severe drought (phase 3) look
out of place
(3) What and how customers have learnt
about drought and restrictions in the past,
and how they would prefer to learn about
them in the future
5 January
to 26
January
2012
Telephone
survey with
domestic
customers
(1) How many customers would comply
with restrictions
(2) How many customers expect to be
affected by restrictions
(3) How many customers support the
phasing of the following measures and
restrictions proposed in the draft Drought
Plan:
- Introducing restrictions before increasing
abstraction
- Introducing restrictions on domestic
customers before restrictions on non-
domestic customers
- Introducing restrictions on the following
after restrictions on households
(i) Using a hosepipe to water parks and
public gardens
(ii) Using a hosepipe to water allotments
(asked on survey with domestic customers
only)
(iii) Using a hosepipe to water national and
international sports grounds (asked on
survey with domestic customers only)
(iv) Watering plants at nurseries and garden
centres (asked on survey with non-domestic
29 March to
5 April 2012
Telephone
survey with
non-
26 March to
3 April 2012
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
28
domestic
customers
customers only)
(v) Cleaning windows carried out by
window cleaners (asked on survey with non-
domestic customers only)
(vi) Washing cars carried out by car washes
including mechanical and hand car
washes (asked on survey with non-domestic
customers only)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
29
1.3 Method – focus groups
Sample
7 focus groups were run with Southern Water customers, with 6 to 8
participants in each. In total 52 customers took part. All focus groups were run
in areas where Southern Water is responsible for both water and waste water.
Two focus groups were run in areas where the universal metering programme
is being rolled out (Horsham and Rochester) and one in the Isle of Wight. To
ensure that we heard a range of views, we selected participants to include
metered and unmetered customers, of different ages, from different socio-
economic groups, with different levels of discretionary water use, and with
different levels of concern about water shortages. Annex A includes a more
detailed discussion of the sample design and a description of the profile of
participants.
Participants were given a cash incentive for attending (£45 each). Giving
cash incentives is standard practice and is essential to encourage a wide
range of customers to take part, not only those who are keen to have their say.
Procedure
Each focus group lasted 2 hours. During the focus groups we discussed the
topics listed below. For further details see the topic guide in Annex B. We
encouraged participants to talk freely around the issues, prompted them to
ensure that important issues were discussed, and probed to ensure that views
and reasons for them were fully explored. We provided basic information
about drought, restrictions, and the proposed phasing of measures and
restrictions in the draft Drought Plan. The information can be found in Annex C.
The focus groups covered the following issues.
We began by asking participants about recent droughts and restrictions
they had experienced.
We introduced the following three key issues from the draft Drought Plan.
After introducing each issue, we asked participants for their views about it.
- We explained that Southern Water plans to introduce restrictions before
increasing abstraction.
- We explained that Southern Water plans to introduce restrictions on
domestic customers before non-domestic customers.
- We showed the restrictions that Southern Water plans to introduce in
each phase: drought (phase 1), severe drought (phase 2), and very
severe drought (phase 3).
Finally we discussed several issues around communicating about drought
and restrictions, including a name for temporary bans.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
30
Analysis and reporting
Discussions were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. This allowed us
to carry out detailed analysis and to include quotes to illustrate points in the
report. We analysed the transcripts using thematic analysis. The themes for
analysis are shown in Annex D.
The focus groups provided a detailed understanding of customers‟ views and
the reasons underlying them. It is not meaningful to report the number of
participants expressing particular views in the focus groups because of the
small number of participants and the purposive way in which they were
selected. Therefore when reporting findings from the focus groups in this report,
only a very broad indication of prevalence is given.
1.4 Method – survey
Sample – domestic customers
The telephone survey was carried out with individuals aged 18 years or over
living in Southern Water‟s area of operation, identified by postcodes. Quotas
were set on age, gender, and working status. The total number of achieved
interviews was 402.
Sample – non-domestic customers
The sample consisted of car washes, window cleaners, garden centres and
nurseries, and public park administrators (i.e. councils) in Southern Water‟s
area of operation, identified by postcodes. The focus was on these types of
businesses/organisations because water use is central to what they do. The
sample was drawn from a number of sources.
List from Experian (Yellow pages data)
List of public park administrators from Southern Water
List of window cleaners from Federation of Window Cleaners
List of open dealer garages with car washes from Catalist
List of car washes and window cleaners from Google
The total number of achieved interviews was 98.
Questionnaire
Interviews were very short (about 4 minutes) and focused on responses to
restrictions in general and to key issues from the draft Drought Plan. The
questionnaires for the surveys with domestic and non-domestic customers
were very similar. The main differences were the questions about personal or
business characteristics and water use.
The questionnaires covered the following issues
To what extent respondents would comply with restrictions
To what extent they expected to be affected by restrictions
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
31
Whether they supported introducing restrictions before increasing
abstraction
Whether they supported introducing restrictions on domestic customers
before non-domestic customers.
Whether they supported phasing of the following restrictions. (i), (ii), and (iii)
were asked about because they had proved controversial in the focus
groups.
(i) Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens
(ii) Using a hosepipe to water allotments (asked on the survey with domestic
customers only)
(iii) Using a hosepipe to water national and international sports grounds
(asked on the survey with domestic customers only)
(iv) Watering plants at nurseries and garden centres (asked on the survey
with non-domestic customers only)
(v) Cleaning windows carried out by window cleaners (asked on the survey
with non-domestic customers only)
(vi) Washing cars carried out by car washes including mechanical and
hand car washes (asked on the survey with non-domestic customers only)
When asking about compliance with restrictions, to reduce social desirability
bias customers were offered responses options on a scale („all of the time‟,
„most of the time‟, „some of the time‟, „not at all‟), rather than simply „yes‟ or
„no‟.
As in the focus group, we introduced each issue before asking the respondent
for their views about it. Because the surveys were administered by phone,
information about the Drought Plan was kept very brief.
The questionnaires are included in Annex E (domestic customer survey) and
Annex F (non-domestic customer survey).
1.5 Overview of the report
The report discusses findings from all three components of the research.
Findings from the surveys are illustrated with graphs. Findings from the focus
groups are illustrated with verbatim quotes from participants (shown in italics).
Chapter 2 looks at what customers know and feel about restrictions, and
how they would change and have changed their water use in response to
restrictions.
Chapter 3 describes customers‟ views about the proposed phasing of
measures and restrictions.
Chapter 4 very briefly summarises conclusions about
- Aspects of the draft Drought Plan customers supported and opposed
- Factors which are likely to affect responses to restrictions, including
knowledge and feelings about them
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
32
2 Knowledge and feelings about drought and
restrictions ___________________________________________________________
This chapter covers the following issues.
Section 2.1 discusses changes to customers‟ water use related to restrictions.
On both surveys customers were asked to what extent they would comply
with restrictions if/when they are introduced this summer. In the focus
groups they discussed how they changed their water use during previous
restrictions: whether and how they complied; whether being on a meter
had or would make any difference to their response; what changes, if any,
they made to their indoor water use; and what changes, if any, they
continued after restrictions ended.
Section 2.2 describes customers‟ feelings about restrictions. On both
surveys customers were asked to what extent they thought their household
or business/organisation would be affected by restrictions. In the focus
groups they discussed their feelings about restrictions more broadly. As well
as talking about the practical impacts, they raised issues about how fair,
effective, and necessary restrictions seem.
Section 2.3 describes customers‟ knowledge about drought and restrictions.
In the focus groups customers tried to recall when they had last
experienced drought and restrictions. They explained when they thought
restrictions are introduced (i.e. are they only introduced when there is a
drought?), what they understood restrictions to cover (including whether
they realised they were compulsory), and what they thought Southern
Water did (or did not do) before and alongside restrictions.
2.1 Changes to water use during and after restrictions
Level of compliance
On the survey of domestic customers, very high levels of compliance with
restrictions were reported, with almost nine in ten respondents (88%) saying
they would comply with restrictions all the time. Only 3% said they would not
take any notice. Compliance was lower among commercial customers
whose business depended on water (window cleaners, car washes, nurseries,
garden centres and public park administrators), but the majority of
respondents (61%) still said they would comply all the time. Only about one in
ten (12%) said they would not comply at all.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
33
Figure 2.1 Compliance with a ban, when/if there is one this summer
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402) and all
respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
In the focus groups, no one admitted that they had broken the rules
themselves during previous bans. However, they knew of or at least suspected
that other people had done so, including neighbours and family members1.
Participants tended to talk about covert rather than blatant hosepipe use,
particularly watering the garden with a hosepipe or sprinkler in the evening
(“Our next door neighbour was always sneaking out to water his plants”, “My
wife used to do it after dark”). But even this could be fairly easily spotted (“I
think everybody else‟s lawn was brown and ours was like a billiard table”).
Changes to outdoor water use
In order to comply with a hosepipe ban, participants changed their outdoor
water use in various ways.
Change 1: Stopped using water for certain purposes
Participants simply stopped watering their garden, washing their car, and so
on, if:
1 There are several possible reasons for the mismatch between what participants said they themselves did and what they thought other people did during restrictions. They might have over-reported their own compliance. Alternatively they might have over-estimated other people’s non-compliance. They might have mistakenly thought that there was a ban in their area (see section 2.3) and therefore
might have mistakenly assumed that other people were breaking the ban. There is a well-documented tendency for people to assume that they are more virtuous than others, and
engage less often in anti-social activities. In some cases participants mentioned specific examples of rule breaking but in other cases they seemed to be
relying on rumour (“I’ve never seen people using them but I know they do…”).
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Domestic Commercial
Don't know
Not at all
Some of the time
Most of the time
All of the time
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
34
They were not all that bothered about doing it. For instance, a woman
described the hosepipe ban as “a very good excuse for not washing the
car”.
They thought it would be too difficult without a hosepipe. For instance, a
man with a large garden who ordinarily watered it with a hosepipe
explained that he “had to stop watering it” during the ban and let some
plants die, implying that he did not see a watering can as a viable
alternative.
Change 2: Switched to a more water efficient way of using water at home
Participants went to the extra effort of using a hosepipe or bucket so that they
could continue to look after their garden or their car if they cared too much to
stop. However, participants were not always convinced that the alternative
actually used less water (see section 2.2).
“If you‟re a keen gardener you would probably just end up doing a bit
more walking up and down, using a watering can.” (Man, Hastings)
Change 3: Started to use (or increased their use of) rain water or grey water
There were instances of participants fitting a water butt so that they could use
rainwater to water the garden, or starting to use bath water or washing up
water on their garden.
Change 4: Carried out the activity away from home
For participants who ordinarily washed their car at home with a hosepipe,
taking it to a garage or to work to get it cleaned was a convenient alternative.
“I think if there‟s a hosepipe ban, it doesn‟t really affect me because I live
in a flat and if I want to wash my car, I do it at work and use theirs.
Because we have to keep our lorries clean we have a jet wash. If there‟s a
hosepipe ban, I‟ll just stick my car in there and give it a quick blow over.”
(Man, Hove)
Impact of meters
Views differed about how being on a meter might affect responses to
restrictions.
Metered customers might respond less
There were two reasons for suggesting that customers might respond less to
restrictions as a result of being on a meter.
Reason 1 Some participants had cut back on their indoor and outdoor water
use (or planned to do so) in order to manage their bills after having a meter
installed. For instance, a woman with young children explained that she used
to be careless with water when filling the paddling pool (“I would put the hose
in the paddling pool and it would overflow and I would be oblivious to it”).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
35
She expected she would be filling the pool less or making it last longer now she
was on a meter.
There would therefore be less room to reduce water use in response to
restrictions. This point was made by customers in both Horsham and Rochester
who had recently had meters fitted as part of the universal metering
programme, as well as customers in other focus groups. As one participant
put it:
“You‟re half way prepared [for a ban], half way there, because you‟re
restricting yourself anyway with the meters. The meter is a deterrent
because you see the pounds going up.” (Woman, Rochester)
Reason 2 It was suggested that some customers on a meter they might feel
entitled to use as much water as they like as they are paying for what they use.
They might therefore ignore restrictions. In fact, the only participants who
admitted to feeling this sense of entitlement during restrictions were
unmetered customers who considered their bill expensive, suggesting that this
mindset may have more to do with perceived value for money rather than
being on a meter. It was also highly unusual to feel this way.
Metering might make no difference
Not all customers agreed that being on a meter had made a difference to
their water use, meaning that it would not affect their response to restrictions.
For instance:
A woman on the Isle of Wight reported that being on a meter had only
affected her consumption in the short term.
A man on the Isle of Wight said that being on a meter felt no different to
paying a RV bill because he paid the same amount each month through
direct debit.
A newly metered customer in Rochester said that she would only decide
whether to reduce consumption when she saw her first metered bill and
found out whether it was in fact higher than her RV bill.
Metered customers might respond more
It was occasionally suggested that customers might actually respond more to
restrictions as a result of being on a meter. If a metered customer was
breaking a ban, it was thought that their non-compliance could be detected.
The fear of detection might deter them from taking the risk.
“If you were using the hose secretly out the back and someone accused
you of that, the water authority could look at your meter and say „he is‟.”
(Man, Horsham)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
36
Expectations about frequency of restrictions
As well as possibly affecting responses to restrictions, universal metering
seemed to affect customers’ expectations about how often restrictions would
occur. Again views differed about what impact it would have. On the one
hand, with more customers on meters being careful with water, it was thought
that droughts and restrictions would occur less often (“If everyone‟s watching
their pennies and not using as much, hopefully there‟ll be more reserves”). On
the other hand, the need for universal metering suggested a problem with
water resources, so it was thought that more frequent droughts and restrictions
were on their way.
Going beyond restrictions
Hosepipe bans sometimes had an impact on indoor water use. No-one
reported installing water saving devices indoors but there were examples of
participants changing their everyday behaviour, mainly in the bathroom. For
instance, they had started turning the tap off while brushing their teeth or
reminding their children to do so; taking showers rather than baths; and being
quicker in the shower.
There seemed to be three mechanisms for these changes.
Some participants had noticed messages at the time of the hosepipe ban
about reducing their water use indoors as well as stopping using a hosepipe.
Some participants had learnt about the limit to water supplies and
therefore realised that it made sense to cut back on their water use indoors
as well as outdoors. For instance, a woman explained that TV coverage
during the last drought had convinced her that:
“You have to go careful with water because there might not be any soon.
You were worried all the time about how you were using your water. When
you‟re in the habit of splashing your face or using it liberally, it‟s hard to kind
of cut back.” (Woman, Rochester)
If someone was already concerned about and careful with water, the
hosepipe ban made the issue more front of mind leading to an even
greater effort than usual to save water both indoors and outdoors.
Continuing to use less water beyond the end of restrictions
In some cases, hosepipe bans had long term impacts, with changes to indoor
and outdoor water use maintained beyond the end of the ban. This came
about in three ways.
Water butts fitted during a ban seemed to be used beyond the end of it.
For instance, a keen gardener who had installed a third water butt during
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
37
the last hosepipe ban said that she now never uses a hosepipe on her
garden.
New patterns of water use that were formed during the drought were
maintained afterwards (“you keep good habits”).
Awareness of limited supplies had stayed with participants and continued
to affect their water use. In recent hosepipe bans, media coverage had
conveyed the message in a memorable way while standpipes in the 1976
drought had provided direct experience of not having water on tap.
“I think the [1976] drought, living through that and realising that water isn‟t
always there, had a huge impact on me personally and my brothers as well.
We saw what it was like not to have water.” (Woman, Hastings)
Recommendations
Continue to encourage customers to go beyond the restrictions and
make changes to their indoor water use. Some customers are likely to
see the sense in this advice and be receptive to it.
In order to promote changes that will be maintained long term:
- Encourage customers to install water butts and water saving devices
indoors (e.g. save-a-flushes).
- Encourage them to try new everyday behaviours as soon as possible
after restrictions are introduced. This will leave plenty of time for new
habits to form before restrictions end.
2.2 Feelings about restrictions
Impact of restrictions
On the domestic customer survey, only about one fifth of respondents (21%)
expected that they would be affected somewhat or a great deal. The vast
majority (71%) expected that the restrictions would have little or no impact on
them (see Figure 2.2).
Many more commercial customers whose business depended on water
(window cleaners, car washes, nurseries, garden centres and public park
administrators) expected to be affected by restrictions, with three quarters
(78%) saying that the restrictions would affect them somewhat (14%) or a great
deal (57%).
Figure 2.2 Expected impact of a ban on their household or
business/organisation
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
38
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402) and all
respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
In the focus groups participants explained why they expected (or did not
expect) to be affected by restrictions. They fell into three broad sets in terms
of their feelings about restrictions.
The first set was not bothered by restrictions because they used little or no
water outdoors. This was the case for:
Customers who did not have, for instance, a car, a garden, or an outdoor
tap.
Customers who were not bothered about washing their car, did not feel
the need to water their garden, were content not to use paddling pools,
and so on.
Customers who already chose to wash their car at a commercial car wash.
The second set was willing to cut back on their outdoor water use in order to
ensure that supplies were protected for the essentials. Cutting back
sometimes inconvenienced them but this inconvenience was viewed as
unimportant when set against the need to save water.
“You know it‟s for the common good really.” (Woman, Horsham)
“It didn‟t really matter as long as I was just able to do the essential use:
have a shower, a wash, toilet, tea, washing up. They‟re the main things, I
think. You don‟t have to wash your car or water the garden, they‟re not
essential.” (Woman, Rochester)
“It was obviously necessary so there wasn‟t much point in feeling annoyed,
was there?” (Man, Ramsgate)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Domestic Commercial
Don't know
Not at all
Not very much
A fair amount
A great deal
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
39
The third set had felt “resentful”, “irritated”, “annoyed”, or “frustrated” to be
told to stop using hosepipes. Sometimes they were annoyed because of the
impact on their lifestyle but sometimes they were annoyed on principle,
irrespective of whether the ban impacted on them.
Where participants complained about the practical impacts of a hosepipe
ban, the focus was on their gardens. Garden lovers and people who had only
just planted up their garden wished to continue watering their garden. Relying
on watering cans was far from ideal, particularly in certain circumstances.
Customers with disabilities For instance, an older woman with arthritis said
she had to stop growing vegetables because carrying watering cans was
difficult for her.
Customers with large areas that needed watering For instance, a young
man who had just “forked out” on a new lawn said that he watered it by
hand with a watering can but was “knackered” by doing this.
Participants were sometimes also upset at not being able to fill paddling pools
with hosepipes. However, not being able to use a hosepipe to clean their car
caused very little annoyance. This was mainly because participants tended to
ordinarily use a car wash or not clean the car often (“the rain washes it”). For
those who did clean the car at home with a hosepipe, doing it elsewhere, at
work or at a car wash, was a convenient alternative.
Just the occasional participant reported a general sense of being put out by
the ban.
“I thought „well blooming hell‟. I was brought up in the war and it as very
restricted then. Then you got used to a bit of convenience. You‟re used to
having something on tap.” (Woman, Rochester)
Restrictions sometimes caused participants to feel “anxious”, “worried” or
“stressed”. There seemed to be two main reasons for this fear. Firstly,
participants wondered what would happen next. Would there, for instance,
be serious water shortages and standpipes? Secondly, they worried about
being mistakenly accused of breaking the ban and being fined.
Objections to restrictions on principle
Some customers were annoyed by restrictions on principle, irrespective of how
much they were personally affected by them. The beliefs that lay behind this
annoyance are summarised in the following three bullet points and in Figure
2.3, and then explained in detail below. Only two of these beliefs were
widespread: customers are getting away with breaking the rules (belief 8) and
restrictions would not be needed if Southern Water took more care of supplies
(belief 1).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
40
Restrictions are not really needed They are imposed too soon, left in place
too long, or would not be necessary at all if Southern Water managed
water resources more effectively.
Restrictions are not fair Customers should not be “penalised” for Southern
Water‟s failure to provide all the water they need, particularly because
they are paying for water so are entitled to use it as they wish. It is also
unfair if certain activities that use water are permitted when other activities
that matter more to customers have already been banned; if customers
who break the rules get away with it while other customers are making do
without their hosepipes; and if customers who are ordinarily water efficient
have to suffer alongside customers who are not.
Restrictions are not effective for protecting supplies Some customers ignore
restrictions which is problematic because the fewer customers that comply,
the less water saved. Even if they do take notice, switching from a
hosepipe to, say, a watering a can does not actually use much less water.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
41
Figure 2.3 Objections to restrictions on principle
Belief 1: Restrictions not needed if Southern Water managed supplies better
It was argued that there should be no need for restrictions. This was based on
a belief that there was not really a shortage of water because, for instance, it
rains a lot, England is surrounded by sea water, and water goes round the
water cycle. It seemed to participants who held this belief that restrictions
would not be necessary if Southern Water did a better job of managing
supplies by building more reservoirs, building desalination plants, or doing more
to deal with leakage. They regarded it as unfair on customers to have to
suffer because of Southern Water‟s problems (“if they can‟t store water when it
rains, it‟s their problem not mine”).
This resentment was linked to lack of knowledge about what Southern Water is
doing to deal with drought (see section 2.3). It was also linked to general
misconceptions about Southern Water‟s investment and performance, such as
overestimates of leakage levels. For instance, one participant said he had
heard that 60% of water is lost through leaks. Another explained:
NOT NEEDED
NOT FAIR NOT EFFECTIVE
Watering cans etc use no less water than
hosepipes
Customers get away with breaking
the rules
Less important uses still permitted
Paying for water so entitled to
use it
SW should manage supplies
better
Imposed too soon & in place too
long
Unfair if usually careful
with water
‘Forced’ to use less
water
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
42
“I feel like having seen the programmes on TV with millions of gallons
squirting out, I think you‟re banning me from using my hosepipe and I‟m not
wasting it. But you‟re letting all of this water just pour out from pipes that
aren‟t secure. I feel there‟s a piece of the road that is soaking and that‟s
been like that for over a year and no-one‟s bothered to repair that but I
can‟t use my hosepipe for ten minutes.” (Woman, Hove)
In some focus groups, there was time at the end to discuss the steps that
Southern Water is taking to deal with water scarcity and alleviate drought. This
information was well received as it showed that Southern Water was doing its
bit before insisting that customers cut back. It took the sting out of objections
to restrictions.
Belief 2: Restrictions imposed too soon and left in place too long
It was sometimes said that restrictions were imposed too readily. Participants
were not always convinced that the situation was sufficiently serious to warrant
them. There was some interest in being told how Southern Water decides
whether to introduce restrictions i.e. what the triggers are.
“You know that after about 5 days of sunshine we‟re going to get a
hosepipe ban. We always do, year in, year out. It rains 90% of the year. We
have 2 weeks of sunshine and we‟re in a hosepipe ban.” (Woman,
Winchester)
It was also thought that restrictions were kept in place for too long, rather than
being removed once it starts to rain. As a result, a participant admitted that
he just assumed that the problem was over and started using his hosepipe
again without being told that he could.
“You see rain and you think „I‟ll be all right now.‟ You probably have a
week of rain and they say there‟s still a water shortage. People seem very
quick to say there‟s a hosepipe ban on but very slow to say the hosepipe
ban has ended. So you kind of end up guessing „well, there‟s been a bit of
rain so it must be OK to use my hosepipe.‟” (Man, Isle of Wight)
Belief 3: Minimal savings from switching to buckets and watering cans
Participants sometimes could not see the sense in focusing restrictions on
hosepipes. This was because they thought that the same amount of water
would be used with, for instance, a bucket or a watering can. A woman who
said she probably would use her hosepipe to clean her car during a ban
thought that “You could be more wasteful using a big bucket.” Another
woman explained that she did comply but used her hosepipe to fill her
watering cans and thought she ended up using the same amount of water as
usual (“It just took a bit longer and made a nonsense of the whole thing”).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
43
Belief 4: ‘Forced’ to use less water
Having restrictions in place made it feel like customers were being “told what
to do.” It was said that this bossy approach might upset some customers to
the point where they would refuse to comply (“People are not very good at
taking notice of being told what to do”). They would prefer to be advised,
rather than forced, to use less water. It was sometimes said that customers
would take more notice of advice than force although views differed on this
point.
Belief 5: Paying for water entitles customers to use it
There was a feeling that because customers are paying for water, they are
entitled to use it however they please during a ban. This feeling was far from
widespread, but it was mentioned by unmetered customers in both high and
low socio-economic groups.
“I think it‟s a damn cheek restricting us when we‟re paying all this money. If
they‟re going to restrict us then they should give us some sort of rebate,
discount, or whatever. Why should we pay for something that we‟re not
having?” (Woman, Winchester)
Belief 6: Less important uses are permitted
There was just a little frustration at unimportant uses of water being permitted
to continue after household restrictions have begun.
“I remember having a hosepipe ban at home and then going to the sea
front and seeing the public water taps left dripping. That annoyed me.
Because if we couldn‟t use our hosepipes then why was our council
providing free water for people to rinse off their sandy feet before they got
in their cars?” (Woman, Isle of Wight)
It is likely that the low level of complaints on this issue was because participants
generally had not noticed the difference in timing of restrictions. When it was
brought to their attention that businesses could continue to use water for
purposes that they considered trivial after restrictions had already been
imposed on households, this annoyed participants a great deal (see chapter
3).
Belief 7: Unfair for water efficient customers to suffer because of other
customers’ carelessness
It could be galling for customers who are ordinarily careful with water to have
their water use restricted in the same way as customers who are profligate
with water. It was thought that there are fairer ways of managing supplies,
such as stepped tariffs.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
44
Belief 8: Customers get away with breaking the rules
Participants were sometimes cross about other customers breaking the rules
because it seemed unfair to people like them who were toeing the line.
However, this was not always the case. Noncompliance was sometimes met
with admiration because it was seen as customers finding a clever way
around an irritating rule.
There were also mixed views about how well restrictions were enforced. Some
participants felt that restrictions were impossible to enforce because there was
no one responsible for doing so. For instance, a participant joked about the
need for “drought police”. However, other participants had heard about
efforts to find customers who were breaking the ban (“sending helicopters
over to have a look”) and were worried that they might be mistakenly fined
(“Everyone was nervous…”).
Even where the restrictions were not officially enforced, it was said that there
were still barriers to breaking the ban, namely disapproval from neighbours
(“you‟re going to attract naming and shaming”) and customers reporting non-
compliance (“it costs too much money to enforce so they rely on people
grassing people up”). For instance, a man who had laid new turf in his garden
just before a hosepipe ban admitted that he would have watered the garden
with a hosepipe if it had not been for a neighbour who was a “pillar of the
community”.
While some participants saw rule breaking as unusual, others thought that it
was widespread and therefore assumed that hosepipe bans would do little to
protect supplies.
Reason for annoyance Recommendations
Belief 1: Restrictions not
needed if Southern
Water managed
supplies better
- Give examples of the steps that Southern
Water is taking to deal with the drought
- Give information to correct misconceptions
about leakage
Belief 2: Restrictions
imposed too soon and
left in place too long
- Explain the triggers for restrictions
- Explain why restrictions need to continue even
when it is raining
Belief 3: Minimal savings
from switching to
buckets and watering
cans
Explain the reason for focusing mainly on
hosepipe use e.g. give figures to show how
much water is used by a hosepipe in an hour
and how much water can be used by someone
carrying a watering can in an hour
Belief 4: „Forced‟ to use
less water
Ask customer to cut their water use in other
ways, besides complying with restrictions
Belief 5: Paying for water
entitles customers to use
it
Recommendation to be added
Belief 6: Less important - As far as possible, restrict activities that are
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
45
uses are permitted
(Discussed in chapter 3)
equally important (or unimportant) at the same
time
- Explain the reasoning behind the phasing
Belief 7: Unfair for water
efficient customers to
suffer because of other
customers‟ carelessness
Recommendation to be added
Belief 8: Customers get
away with breaking the
rules
- Give figures to show that the vast majority of
customers do comply (e.g. from the survey
carried out for this research)
- Mention fines for not complying
2.3 Knowledge about drought restrictions
Frequency and recency of restrictions
There was a tendency to overestimate how recently and frequently restrictions
had happened. In all the focus groups apart from one (Ramsgate), someone
thought there had been restrictions in their area in the last two to three years
or even more recently. Some participants, even in Winchester, believed they
experienced restrictions “nearly every year”.
Knowledge varies
Knowledge about restrictions varied a great deal. At one extreme, in Horsham,
participants felt well informed about recent hosepipe bans. They said they
knew when the ban started, when it ended, and what they were supposed to
do differently while it was in place.
At the other extreme, in Winchester, there was much less clarity. For instance,
there were marked differences of opinion about when there had last been a
hosepipe ban in the area, with some participants saying that the last time had
been in 1976 and others thinking that they had had a ban several times in
recent years. When they thought they had heard about a ban, there was
uncertainty whether there was in fact a ban in force.
“Having small children and wanting to fill up paddling pools and things like
that, I never knew if I could or if I couldn‟t.” (Woman, Winchester)
What is and is not allowed
In areas with more recent restrictions, participants tended to have a better
understanding of the compulsory nature of hosepipe bans. They generally
understood that it was prohibited to use a hosepipe during a ban, and there
were mentions of fines for customers who broke the rules. In contrast, in areas
which had not had recent restrictions, there was sometimes a feeling that
restrictions were just advice (“told to try to use water sparingly”).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
46
When restrictions are introduced
Some participants believed that a hosepipe ban was introduced when there
was a drought. If there was a hosepipe ban, this meant that there was a
drought (“I‟d assume there is a drought if there's a hosepipe ban”).
However, hosepipe bans were not always equated with droughts. There were
three lines of evidence for this.
It was thought that hosepipe bans preceded droughts and were intended
to prevent them. If there was a drought, more drastic measures, such as
standpipes, would be needed.
It was said that there had been several recent hosepipe bans since the last
drought quite some time ago.
Droughts were seen as unusual extreme events while hosepipe bans were
thought to happen more frequently. Images and definitions of drought
included“40 days and 40 nights without a drop of rain”, “Everything gets
turned brown”, “Something that happens in East Africa really”. However,
participants recognised that not all droughts were equally serious. They
distinguished between severe droughts, such as the 1976 drought (“real
drought”, “proper drought”, “big drought” or “major drought”) and less
severe droughts (“mini-drought” or “water shortage”).
What water companies do before and alongside restrictions
Participants generally knew very little about what Southern Water does to deal
with drought. When we asked participants about this issue, they tended to
answer by saying what they thought Southern Water should be doing (“let‟s
hope they‟re drilling some more wells somewhere to supply us with some more
water”). These suggestions included steps that are already being taken.
However, there were some unusually knowledgeable participants who knew
about bulk transfers (“trading water”), keeping “reservoirs topped up”, and
additional effort to fix leaks and investigate sources of water. There was also a
little awareness of long term efforts to build more reservoirs (“it was very big in
the news a few years ago”).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
47
3 Views about the phasing of measures and
restrictions in the draft Drought Plan ___________________________________________________________
This chapter covers the following issues.
Section 3.1 presents customers‟ views about whether restrictions should be
introduced before or after increasing abstraction. On both the surveys and
in the focus groups, customers were asked this question. In the focus
groups they explained the reasons for their answers.
Section 3.3 describes what customers thought in principle about
introducing restrictions on businesses after restrictions on households. On
both the surveys and in the focus groups, customers were asked whether
Southern Water should introduce restrictions on businesses after or at the
same time as households. In the focus groups we explored the reasons for
their answers.
Sections 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 discuss feedback about the proposed
phasing of restrictions. In the focus groups, we showed customers what
activities Southern Water proposes to restrict at the start of a drought
(phase 1), in severe drought (phase 2), and in very severe drought (phase
3). They discussed whether they thought any of the restrictions seemed out
of place and why. On the survey of domestic customers, respondents were
asked about restrictions that had been most controversial in the focus
groups i.e. watering parks, allotments, and national and international sports
grounds. On the survey of non-domestic customers, respondents were
asked about restrictions that would affect businesses and organisations that
are likely to be most affected by restrictions i.e. watering parks, watering
plants at nurseries and garden centres, cleaning windows, and cleaning
cars at car washes.
3.1 Should restrictions be introduced before increasing abstraction?
On the survey of domestic customers, there was a very high level of support for
the current plan, with three quarters of respondents (75%) in favour of
introducing restrictions before increasing abstraction (see Figure 3.1). There
was less support on the survey of commercial customers but even here half of
respondents (52%) backed the proposed order.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
48
Figure 3.1 Should restrictions be introduced before increasing abstraction or
vice versa?
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402) and all
respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
Echoing findings on the survey, the dominant view in the focus groups with
domestic customers was that restrictions should be introduced before
increasing abstraction. Increasing abstraction was seen as a “last resort” to
turn to later if necessary. For some participants, this order seemed so obvious
and logical that they had trouble explaining why they thought this way, and
could not see why anyone would hold the opposite view.
In contrast participants who argued for increasing abstraction before
introducing restrictions tended not to make the case strongly. Sometimes their
arguments were tentative because they said that they lacked the information
to reach a firm conclusion. Sometimes they could see both sides of the
argument i.e. they could see reasons for introducing restrictions before and
after abstraction.
Reasons for introducing restrictions first
In the focus groups with domestic customers, participants gave four reasons
(listed below) for thinking that restrictions should be introduced before
increasing abstraction. The first two reasons were mentioned repeatedly and
in almost all the focus groups. The last two reasons were rarely mentioned.
Reason 1 It was thought that there are limits to the amount of water available
(“It‟s obviously not an endless supply, is it?”). It therefore made sense to use
less water before dipping into limited reserves. Otherwise customers would
waste water on activities that they could easily do without, and it would not
be available for the essentials if the drought continued for some time.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Domestic Commercial
Don't know
Abstraction first
Restrictions first
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
49
“If you start to take [water] from every resource while people are still
wasting it, then you‟re going to run out. Then when you‟ve run out you‟ll go
„oh, by the way, can you turn your hosepipe off?‟ It‟s closing the gate after
the horse has bolted, isn‟t it?” (Man, Horsham)
Reason 2 There were worries that increasing abstraction would impact on the
environment. Protecting the environment was seen as more important than
letting customers continue to use water however they liked, partly because of
concerns that environmental damage would be permanent or difficult to
reverse. By increasing abstraction after taking other actions, Southern Water
was seen to be taking care of the environment.
“[If we] take water from nature, animals need water too. We‟ll just take all
their water and they‟ll all die off slowly.” (Woman, Ramsgate)
“Paddling pool and swimming pools and things like that, they‟re just for
luxury. Lots of animals and birds and things rely on water, fish and insects”.
(Woman, Rochester)
Reason 3 Increasing abstraction first seemed to be promoting wasteful use of
water because it gave the impression that there was plenty of water for
customers to use however they choose.
Reason 4 It was thought that increasing abstraction might be costly. If this was
the case, it would be in customers‟ interests to introduce restrictions first.
Reasons for increasing abstraction first
In the focus groups with domestic customers, four reasons (listed below) were
given for increasing abstraction first. All were rarely mentioned.
Reason 1 It was argued that water supplies taken from the environment would
be replenished through the water cycle so it would be fine to take as much
water as needed.
“The water supplies won‟t run out. Sooner or later, it might be a long
drought, but you‟ll get the water back again. You‟ll get evaporation, it‟s
not going to go on forever, the rain will come again and it‟ll all get put
back where it was.” (Woman, Winchester)
Reason 2 There was a suspicion that it might be possible to abstract more
water than at present without damaging the environment. For instance, a
participant wondered if Southern Water might keep plenty in reserve, perhaps
only using 60% of available groundwater. Another participant believed that
the Environment Agency would only allow water companies to abstract more
water if it did not damage the environment, so why not take as much as they
allowed before introducing restrictions? Once this limit was reached, without
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
50
affecting the environment, Southern Water should look to reduce leakage and
restrict use.
Reason 3 If restrictions are not very effective, there would be little point in
introducing them, and instead it would make sense to start increasing
abstraction right away. Participants who made this argument did not have a
feel for how effective restrictions would be (“I just wonder if bans actually do
have a significant impact”).
Reason 4 It was argued that if restrictions impact on discretionary use, such as
car washing and gardening, then it would be fine to restrict water use before
increasing abstraction. However, if they impact on basic needs, such as
cooking and washing, or important leisure activities, such as filling a paddling
pool for children, it would be preferable to increase abstraction first.
Recommendations
Leave the current plan as it is, to introduce restrictions before
increasing abstraction.
When explaining the reason for introducing restrictions before
increasing abstraction, focus on limited supplies and the impact of
abstraction on nature.
When communicating about increased abstraction:
- Address concerns about the potential impact on the environment
- Explain other steps that have been taken first, both operational and
restrictions on customers
3.2 Should any restrictions in phase 1 be introduced later?
On the whole, participants in the focus groups were broadly comfortable with
the restrictions in phase 1 being introduced as soon as restrictions are needed.
This was because they mainly affect activities that were not seen as essential.
Customers could forgo them with little difficulty.
“I think phase one‟s pretty good personally. It‟s not bad. A lot of it is leisure,
cars, stuff that you can do without actually washing. I think it all looks quite
well organised.” (Man, Hastings)
Participants mainly expressed annoyance about the restrictions in phase 1
when they compared them with restrictions in phases 2 and 3 that they
thought were equally unimportant, or even less important. Where they noted
this mismatch, they tended to think that restrictions in phases 2 and 3 should
be introduced earlier, rather than restrictions in phase 1 being introduced later.
“I think what‟s going to make people resentful is if they make us – which
we‟re quite happy to do – cut back on all our little bits of things like our
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
51
paddling pool, and yet you see them [using water] for graffiti. I think phase
3 should be in phase 1.” (Woman, Horsham)
There were three restrictions in phase 1 that participants sometimes suggested
postponing until later or omitting altogether: watering allotments with
hosepipes; watering parks with hosepipes; and filling or topping up an
ornamental fountain. The discussion around allotments elicited the strongest
feelings; the discussion around fountains the weakest feelings.
Watering allotments with a hosepipe
On the survey of domestic customers, there was considerable support (34%)
for introducing restrictions at allotments later than restrictions at home.
Nevertheless, the majority of respondents (55%) supported the current plan to
introduce restrictions at the same time (see Figure 3.2.).
Figure 3.2 Should restrictions on hosepipes to water allotments be introduced
at the same time or after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402)
In the focus groups with domestic customers, participants who backed later
restrictions at allotments argued that growing vegetables has a different status
to other gardening (“vegetables are more important; flowers are just pretty”).
It could help customers to save money and eat healthily; be good for the
environment; and help address a perceived food shortage.
Their support for later restrictions at allotments was sometimes expressed very
strongly (“If people are trying to grow their own produce, I think it‟s a damn
cheek stopping them”). These strong reactions mainly related to comparisons
with restrictions in phases 2 and 3. For instance, it seemed wrong that
watering allotments with a hosepipe should be restricted before refilling ponds,
running vehicle washes, and watering national and international sports
grounds.
“Ridiculous. Football‟s not as important as feeding people, surely!” (Man,
Hove)
Same
time
55%
After
34%
Don't know
11%
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
52
However, several arguments were made for not treating allotments differently
from hosepipe use at home.
Discriminating between different types of gardening or between different
uses of hosepipes seemed unfair (“If no one is allowed to use hosepipes,
then no one is allowed to use them”). Allowing hosepipes to be used at
allotments might encourage customers to break other restrictions (“If he‟s
allowed to do that, then I‟ll water my grass or wash my car”).
Not being able to use a hosepipe would not stop allotmenteers growing
vegetables. They could continue to water their vegetables using a
watering can and, even better, water from a water butt.
There was a concern that allotmenteers might be careless with water (“if
you get it for free you‟d use it”), implying that it made sense to introduce
restrictions as early as possible.
In a water shortage, it was thought that food should be produced in the
most water efficient manner i.e. large scale on a farm rather than small
scale at home or at an allotment. Again this implied that restrictions should
be introduced early.
Watering parks with a hosepipe
On the survey of domestic customers, about a third of respondents (31%) said
they would prefer restrictions on the use of hosepipes in parks to be introduced
after restrictions at home (see Figure 3.3). However, more than half (58%)
supported the current plan to introduce both restrictions at the same time.
On the survey of commercial customers, almost half (48%) supported the
current plan. However, only a few less respondents (43%) supported later
restrictions at parks.
Figure 3.3 Should restrictions on hosepipes to water parks and public gardens
be introduced at the same time or after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402) and all
respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
53
In the focus groups, participants who felt that hosepipes should be used for
longer in parks focused mainly on the impact on wildlife. This view was
expressed most strongly by participants with a keen interest in the environment.
“What about flowers and bees and pollination and everything like that that
goes on in those areas?” (Woman, Hove)
However, other participants felt that watering plants in parks was not essential
either for the people using the park (“The flowers and that are pretty but if
you‟re having to save water…”) or for the plants themselves as they would
recover quickly once the drought was over. It was even suggested that
restrictions should be introduced in parks before restrictions at home because
this would encourage customers to follow suit at home.
Filling or topping up an ornamental fountain
Fountains were not widely mentioned. However, some participants felt that
they were out of place in phase 1 because they use very little water. It was
thought that a fountain contains just a little water and this water is “recycled”
so just a small amount would be needed to replace any that evaporates
(“only a cupful a day or less”).
This small amount of water seemed too trivial to warrant a restriction at all (“it‟s
a waste of paper mentioning fountains”). With so many other restrictions to
communicate about, it was suggested that it could simply be left off the list.
Alternatively it could be restricted later.
Recommendations
Leave the restrictions in phase 1 as they are, including:
- Restrictions on hosepipes at allotments and parks (in line with the
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Domestic Commercial
Don't know
After
Same time
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
54
majority view)
- Restrictions on topping up and filling fountains (as this is likely to
cause minimal objections)
To address possible concerns among the large proportion of customers
who favour later introduction of restrictions at allotments:
- Explain that when Southern Water consulted customers, they
considered this arrangement fairer and the majority supported it
- Remind them that they can continue to water their vegetables with
a watering can
- Try not to draw attention to the fact that restrictions on activities that
they might consider less important will be introduced later
To address possible concerns among the large proportion of customers
who favour later introduction of restrictions at parks, explain that when
Southern Water consulted customers, the majority supported this
arrangement. Customers consider „ornamental‟ water use to be non-
essential and believe it is right to restrict it early.
3.3 Should restrictions be introduced later for businesses than
households?
In the survey, respondents were told that at the moment Southern Water
introduces restrictions on water use at home before restricting businesses‟
water use. The survey mentioned three types of businesses that could be
affected: window cleaners, car washes and garden centres. Almost three
quarters of respondents on the survey of domestic customers (71%) and nine
tenths of respondents on the survey of commercial customers (90%) agreed
that it was right to restrict businesses later than households (see Figure 3.4).
Figure 3.4 Should restrictions on businesses be introduced at the same time or
after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402) and all
respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
55
In the focus groups with domestic customers, participants were asked their
views about the principle of restricting businesses after households2.
When participants agreed that restrictions on businesses should be introduced
later than on households, they gave the following reasons.
They were worried that restrictions on businesses might lead to job losses. In
the current economic climate, it seemed wrong to add to the difficulties
that businesses already face. However, participants who made this point
sometimes did not feel that the argument applied when they saw the
proposed phasing of restrictions because the business activities it covered
were mainly seen as non-essential.
They believed that if customers reduced consumption at home this would
result in large savings because of the large number of domestic customers.
Restricting domestic use first might mean that there is no need to impose
restrictions on businesses at all.
It was thought that it would be easier to save water at home. Households
have more discretionary use while businesses are already water efficient.
However, there were participants who disagreed and felt that businesses
were sometimes wasteful of water.
When participants disagreed with restrictions being introduced later for
businesses, they gave the following reasons.
They argued that it was fairer to treat everyone the same, both businesses
and households.
They were just as worried about the impact of restrictions on households,
particularly families, as they were about the impact on businesses. For
instance, children would suffer if swimming pools were closed.
2 This issue was discussed before they saw the proposed phasing of restrictions. The discussion centred on the types of businesses that we drew attention to (i.e. window cleaners, car washes and garden centres). The issues that participants considered only partly overlapped with the issues they discussed when considering phase 2 and phase 3 restrictions (see section 3.3).
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Domestic Commercial
Don't know
Same time
After
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
56
If businesses use more water than households, it would make more sense to
introduce restrictions here first as this would save more water.
3.4 Should any restrictions in phases 2 and 3 be introduced earlier?
When discussing whether any phase 2 or 3 restrictions seemed out of place
and should be introduced earlier, participants took into account the following
three considerations (each discussed in detail below).
How important is the activity that would be restricted? This was their main
consideration.
How much water does it use?
Can the same outcome be achieved using less water or no water at all?
In all of the focus groups, participants suggested introducing some of the
phase 2 and 3 restrictions earlier. As summarised in Figure 3.5, participants
suggested introducing restrictions earlier if they believed that:
The activity is not important, so restricting it would not have serious negative
consequences.
The activity uses a lot of water, so restricting it would save a lot of water.
The same outcome can be achieved using less or no water.
Participants‟ responses to the phasing of individual restrictions are explained in
sections 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7, and summarised in tables 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3.
Consideration 1: How important is the activity?
Participants considered an activity important, and tended to think it should not
be restricted earlier, if restrictions could have the following negative impacts.
Employment For instance, when cleaning windows at commercial buildings
is restricted, window cleaners could lose income or even go out of business
Health, safety, and hygiene For instance, if water is not used to suppress
dust, might this lead to health and safety problems?
Food growing For instance, restricting the use of drip irrigation could impact
on food growing.
Wildlife and animal welfare For instance, not topping up ponds could result
in fish dying.
Leisure For instance, children would have to miss out on swimming if pools
stop being topped up. However, there were differing views about the
importance of restrictions which impacted on leisure activities.
Conversely, activities were seen as unimportant if they were for looks only
(“cosmetic” or “ornamental”). For instance, cleaning commercial vehicles,
cleaning windows on commercial buildings, and watering outdoor plants at
commercial buildings fell into this category. Sometimes restrictions on leisure
activities, such watching sport and swimming, were seen as unimportant
although views differed on this point.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
57
Sometimes there were disagreements about how much it would matter if an
activity was restricted. For instance, not being able to clean windows on
commercial buildings could affect the survival of a window cleaning business;
but having dirty windows would not matter much to businesses occupying the
buildings. Whether participants believed that window cleaning should be
restricted earlier depended on which perspective they took.
Sometimes even individual participants did not have a simple answer because
an activity could be important in some circumstances but not in others. For
instance, removing graffiti was not seen as essential except where it is abusive
or offensive. Likewise cleaning the outside of lorries and trains was not critical
for business. However, cleaning the inside of lorries that transport food and
cleaning aeroplanes were viewed as important activities with potential health
and safety consequences (“an aircraft that‟s absolutely filthy would shake
your confidence a bit”).
Participants argued that activities that were equally important (or unimportant)
should be restricted at the same time. In particular, it was seen as unfair to
treat identical activities differently depending on whether they take place at
home or at a business. If an activity was not important at home and was
restricted in phase 1, it was similarly unimportant for a business and should be
restricted at the same time. For instance:
Participants questioned why businesses could continue to water their plants
and clean their windows when they could not do so at home. This made
no sense since the difference was “just a matter of scale.”
Participants could not see why national and international sports grounds
continued to be watered after the local sports ground that they or their
children used.
Consideration 2: How much water does it use?
When participants noticed that the activities in phase 3 were more water
efficient than those in phase 2, they approved of this approach as it seemed to
be rewarding good behaviour. Therefore there was general support for
restricting efficient approaches to water use later than inefficient ones.
However, participants thought it was odd that there were also some activities
using a great deal of water, particularly watering sports grounds, alongside the
water efficient activities in phase 3. It was thought that these activities should
be restricted earlier.
There were sometimes misunderstandings about how much water an activity
used. For instance, micro-irrigation was said to be a wasteful way of watering
plants compared to using a watering can.
There were some activities that were seen as so wasteful of water that
participants argued they should not be allowed at all, even when there is not
a drought. This applied to watering sports grounds for national and
international events and constantly flushing urinals.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
58
Consideration 3: Is there an alternative that uses less or no water?
It was thought that restrictions on activities should be introduced earlier if there
were alternative ways of achieving the same outcomes using less water or no
water at all. If there were alternatives, it was thought that businesses should
be using them. Very little consideration was given to the fact that it might take
some time or investment before they could do so.
Three types of alternatives were mentioned.
Using rain water or grey water, rather than tap water This solution was
suggested for several activities, from filling or topping up a pond to
watering sports grounds and plants at garden centres.
Using water more efficiently For instance, it was thought that there were
more efficient watering systems than drip or micro-irrigation.
Not using water at all For instance, graffiti could be removed by painting
over it, rather than washing it off; and sports grounds could be astroturfed.
Participants sometimes thought that it made sense for activities to be limited
rather than banned altogether. In the draft Drought Plan this approach is only
taken in the restriction on watering national and international sports grounds.
Participants suggested using it in relation to several other activities. Their
suggestions included watering plants at nurseries more sparingly and cleaning
commercial vehicles with hosepipes less often rather than not at all, and
asking football clubs to share pitches.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
59
Figure 3.5 Should any restrictions in phases 2 and 3 be introduced earlier?
Important – for
- Employment
- Health & safety
- Food growing
- Wildlife/animal welfare
- Leisure (mixed views about
importance of leisure)
How
important
is it?
Not important – just for
- Looks
- Leisure (mixed views about
importance of leisure)
Uses little
water
How much
water does
it use?
Uses a lot
of water
Restrict
earlier
No obvious
alternatives
Are there
alternatives?
Alternatives exist i.e.
- Use water more
efficiently
- Use rain not tap water
- Don‟t use water at all
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
60
3.5 Should any leisure activities in phase 2 or 3 be restricted earlier?
National and international sports grounds
In the focus groups, participants who disagreed with this restriction being
introduced in phase 3 gave numerous reasons. Their objections were strongly
felt. Some of these reasons were even given by participants who described
themselves as sports fans.
They objected because of the large quantity of water that they thought
would be needed (“potentially a hell of a lot of water”), arguing that
activities that use this much water should be restricted before phase 3.
They asked why sports people should continue to have “nice green pitches”
after the local sports grounds or swimming pools that they and their
children use had been affected. It felt like “normal people” were being
treated unfairly while “commerce is getting off very lightly.” They
suspected that there were financial motives behind this.
They felt that watering sports grounds was less important than many other
activities that would be restricted earlier under current plans: washing cars,
watering vegetables, watering parks, and topping up ponds with a
hosepipe. It would not be a serious problem if matches had to be
cancelled and sports fans had to go without watching matches for a while.
(However, there was some disagreement on this point, as discussed below.)
“For people to lose a couple of weeks watching their football or cricket or
horse racing or what have you, is no hardship really to anyone.” (Man,
Horsham)
Along similar lines, it was thought that cancelling matches would not affect
many people’s jobs, unlike some other restrictions which were therefore
seen as more important.
“Watering football pitches for football teams that obviously have a lot of
money should [be restricted] before then. Someone might lose their job
because they can‟t clean windows.” (Woman, Rochester)
Participants wondered whether sports grounds actually had to be watered
to be useable (“Could they not still play if the ground is rock hard?”) and
whether turf could be replaced with a material that did not need to be
watered at all (“Astroturf them all!”).
They argued that it would be fine to restrict water use because national
and international sports grounds could afford to source water elsewhere.
For instance, a participant joked:
“They‟re paid so much money they should ship in Evian to water their pitch.”
(Man, Ramsgate)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
61
However, it was recognised that there were economic benefits associated
with large sporting events, and that they give a lot of pleasure to a lot of
people. There was sometimes disbelief that water use would ever be restricted
in a way that would cause events to be cancelled.
“If it‟s international, it generates an awful lot of money for this country, for
the economy. It‟s a huge business.” (Woman, Rochester)
“If they were going to cancel things due to pitch conditions, all those
thousands of people out there would be outraged because they‟re not
watching an England game. I don‟t know if that would happen…” (Man,
Hastings)
Participants who mentioned these two benefits mainly discussed them in
relation to occasional events, such as the Olympics, Wimbledon, the British
Open, and a test match series. (These events would not take place in
Southern Water‟s area although participants did not note this.)
“Well if it‟s a national event, say Wimbledon, that‟s a yearly thing, if they
can‟t water the grass then that event can‟t go on. That would be a big
thing. A lot of people would probably rather water the tennis courts so they
could watch it.” (Man, Isle of Wight)
This split in views was also found on the survey of domestic customers. Just
over half of respondents (54%) were opposed to the current plans and said
that restrictions on national and international sports grounds should be
introduced at the same time as restrictions on households, compared to a
third (32%) who said they should be introduced later (see Figure 3.6).
Figure 3.6 Should restrictions on watering national and international sports
grounds be introduced at the same time or after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on domestic customer survey (n=402)
Commercial swimming and paddling pools
Same
time
53%
After
32%
Don't know
15%
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
62
In some focus groups filling or topping up commercial pools received little or
no attention, or did not arouse strong feelings. For instance, an older man
commented that a restriction on topping up commercial pools would not be
“the end of the world”, provided that it did not last long. However, in the rest
of the focus groups stronger views were expressed.
The occasional participant suggested that topping up commercial pools
should be restricted in phase 1 or even before, as should restrictions on other
public services. This would mean that domestic customers would not feel
alone in having restrictions imposed at this time, and would be more likely to
cut back at home because they saw restrictions in place in public settings.
“If people‟s public services are cut, you will see that the parks are going dry,
you will see that you can‟t use your swimming pool because there‟s no
extra water coming in. Then you will say „well if they can‟t do that, we
can‟t water our lawns at home.‟” (Woman, Isle of Wight)
At the other extreme, it was suggested that the restriction on commercial
pools should be moved to phase 3. This seemed to be linked to a feeling that
it was unfair that swimming pools would be affected, and their users would
suffer, before national and international sports grounds.
Participants also mentioned a number of concerns about restrictions on
swimming pools. Job losses at pools were a minor concern. However, the
main focus was swimming pool users. Pools were important for children to
have fun (closing them would “take away children‟s happiness”), for parents to
keep their children occupied, for exercise, and for health. It would be
especially important keep pools open during a hosepipe ban when parents
cannot fill a paddling pool at home; during the summer holidays when lots of
school children would use them; and generally when the weather is warm
(“the one time you‟re going to want to go somewhere like a swimming pool to
cool off”).
There was very little discussion about how much water would be needed to
keep pools topped up, suggesting that this was not a serious worry and
participants did not think it would take much.
Filling or topping up ponds
There were mixed feelings about filling or topping up ponds. On the one hand
there was a concern, mentioned in almost every group, that not topping them
up could mean that fish, including expensive ones, might not survive a
drought.
On the other hand, several arguments were made in favour of introducing
restrictions on ponds earlier but none of them was widely mentioned.
If fish do die, they could simply be replaced.
Other pond life would survive a drought due to “natural mechanisms”.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
63
It seemed odd to favour protecting fish over watering vegetables.
“Recycled” water could be used instead of tap water.
3.6 Should any activities with aesthetic purposes in phase 2 or 3 be
restricted earlier?
Several activities tended to be seen as non-essential because participants
thought their main or only purpose was to make things look better. This was
said to be the case for the following activities.
Removing graffiti
Cleaning commercial vehicles
Cleaning commercial premises
Cleaning windows at commercial properties
Watering plants at commercial properties
Cleaning commercial premises received little attention. However, the other
activities listed above were sometimes highlighted (along with watering
national and international sports grounds) as the restrictions that participants
considered most out of place in phases 2 and 3 and most in need of restricting
earlier. However, participants also mentioned some exceptions, concerns,
and caveats relating to these restrictions (described below) which would
mean the different restrictions might need to be phased differently.
Removing graffiti
It was generally thought that graffiti need not be removed during a drought
(“not very nice but not absolutely essential to use all that water to get it off”),
unless if it is abusive. However, if it did need to be removed, this could be
done without wasting water to wash it off (“Why can‟t they paint over it if it‟s
that bad?”). Participants did not distinguish between the two different graffiti-
related restrictions i.e. removing graffiti from buildings and vehicles.
Cleaning commercial vehicles
Participants saw cleaning commercial vehicles as a non-essential activity that
should be restricted early on. They mentioned this as an example of a non-
essential use of water, even before we showed them the proposed phasing of
restrictions. Their only worry was where this could impact on health and safety,
for instance if aeroplanes or vehicles transporting food were dirty.
“Your window cleaner and these hand car washes that are springing up all
over the place, it‟s their business to use water. They have to use water to
keep themselves going whereas Tesco‟s, it‟s just cleaning a truck.” (Man,
Horsham)
Cleaning windows at commercial properties
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
64
Participants‟ main concern about restrictions on window cleaning was that it
could impact on jobs. There was minimal concern about windows being
allowed to remain dirty.
There seemed to be little knowledge about the different methods of window
cleaning. Therefore little distinction was made between the various restrictions
related to cleaning windows. However, where customers knew about water
fed poles they approved of them.
On the survey of commercial customers, which included window cleaners,
there was strong support for these restrictions being introduced later than
restrictions on households. About two thirds of respondents (65%) supported
this position.
Figure 3.7 Should restrictions on cleaning windows carried out by window
cleaners be introduced at the same time or after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
Watering plants at commercial properties
It was not clear to participants why business should be treated any differently
from households and parks when it came to watering outdoor plants (phase 2
restriction). There were strong feelings about this.
Participants‟ views about the phase 3 restriction, watering newly bought plants
at commercial properties and watering plants with drip and micro-irrigation
systems, were sometimes equally harsh. This was because:
It was not clear to them how the two restrictions differed.
There seemed to be a lack of awareness that drip and micro-irrigation
systems are water efficient (“micro-irrigation systems run all the time, have
water dripping constantly”).
Singling out newly bought plants seemed odd (“Don‟t buy plants if there‟s a
drought!”).
Same
time
26%
After
65%
Don't know
9%
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
65
However, participants worried that restrictions could impact on food growing.
They also had some sympathy with garden centres and nurseries, realising that
restrictions on water use could be very difficult for them (“I‟m sure there‟s a lot
of garden centres out there that will be dreading that”). However, it was not
clear from the description of the phase 3 restriction that it was intended mainly
to protect these types of business. It was also argued that they should be
using more efficient watering systems and relying on rain water harvesting.
On the survey of commercial customers, which included nurseries and garden
centres, the vast majority of respondents (78%) favoured these restrictions
being introduced later than restrictions on households.
Figure 3.8 Should restrictions on watering plants at nurseries and garden
centres be introduced at the same time or after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
Car washes
Mixed views were expressed about the restrictions relating to car washes.
Keeping cars clean was seen as non-essential and it was thought that
customers could just do it at home with a bucket. Therefore some participants
argued that all types of car wash should be restricted in phase 1 or at least in
phase 2 at the same time as cleaning commercial vehicles.
The main reason for arguing against early restrictions was because of concerns
about protecting car washing businesses. However, it was suggested that
automatic car washes in petrol stations could be restricted early without
anyone losing their job.
Having water efficient car washes restricted in phase 3 was seen as sensible.
Automatic car washes which use “a hell of a lot of water” should be restricted
early but there was little to be gained by restricting car washes which use just
Same time
14%
After
78%
Don't know
8%
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
66
a small amount of water. It was even suggested that very efficient car washes
that recycle water should not be restricted at all. However, not all participants
recognised that the activities restricted in phase 3 restrictions were in fact
water efficient. In particular they queried whether hand car washes using
hosepipes should be allowed to keep operating until phase 3.
On the survey of commercial customers, which included car washes, there
was strong support for these restrictions being introduced later than restrictions
on households. About two thirds of respondents (63%) supported this position.
Figure 3.9 Should restrictions on washing cars carried out by car washes
including mechanical and hand car washes be introduced at the same time
or after restrictions on households?
Base: All respondents on commercial customer survey (n=98)
Cleaning commercial premises
This activity received very little attention and did not arouse strong feelings.
When it was discussed, it was seen as non-essential and therefore suitable for
restricting earlier. The exception was where businesses such as abattoirs had
health and safety reasons for cleaning their premises with a hosepipe.
3.7 Should any other activities in phase 2 or 3 be restricted earlier?
Operating cisterns
This restriction was not widely discussed but when it was discussed, there were
strong feelings about it.
Some participants saw turning off cisterns seen as disgusting. However, this was
because they misunderstood what was being proposed and thought that the
cisterns would not operate at all.
Same
time
27%
After
63%
Don't know
10%
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
67
In contrast, other participants were shocked to find out that there are cisterns
which operate all the time as this seemed like a terrible waste of water. They
said that not only should the restriction be introduced earlier, but cisterns like
this should be prohibited altogether. There were participants who even
questioned whether such cisterns actually exist any longer.
Suppressing dust
This restriction received very little attention and did not arouse strong feelings.
There was some discussion about exactly what was meant by „suppressing
dust‟ with water, and when it would happen. Participants tended to assume
that it was important for health and safety reasons and therefore concluded
that it should not be restricted earlier (“people would be a lot more worried
about the air quality than how much water gets used”.
On the other hand, it was assumed that it could use a lot of water, could be
done with rain water rather than tap water, and should therefore be restricted
earlier. However, these points were very rarely made.
Cleaning industrial plant
This restriction was barely discussed in the focus groups.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
68
Table 3.1 Feedback about restrictions on activities that use water for aesthetic purposes
Restriction Views about
importance
Views about
amount of
water used
Views about
alternatives
Other points
to consider
Recommendations
Removing graffiti
(2 restrictions:
„Remove graffiti
from buildings‟ &
„Remove graffiti
from vehicles‟)
- Not important
- Except abusive graffiti
Not discussed Paint over
graffiti
Did not
distinguish
between the
two
restrictions
Move both restrictions to phase 1.
Cleaning
commercial vehicles
- Not important
- Except where there
are health and safety
concerns e.g. planes &
vehicles carrying food
Not discussed Not discussed Suggested
reducing
frequency
rather than
banning
Move to phase 1.
Cleaning
commercial
premises
- Not important
- Except where there
are health and safety
concerns e.g. abattoirs
Not discussed Not discussed Barely
discussed in
focus groups
Move to phase 1 (for consistency along with
other mainly cosmetic uses of water). (But if
Southern Water would prefer to keep
changes to a minimum, it would be fine to
leave in phase 2 because it did not arouse
strong feelings.)
Cleaning cars
commercially
(3 restrictions:
„Mechanical car
wash‟, „Mechanical
car wash that
recycles water‟,
„Hand car wash‟)
- Very important to
protect jobs at car
washes
- Not important to
clean cars
Believe that
small amount
of water used
by
- hand car
washes
- mechanical
car washes
that recycle
water
Not discussed n/a Move to phase 1 „Mechanical car
washes‟ (provided that this this will not
result in job losses, as customers assume).
Move to phase 2 „Hand car washes that
use hosepipes‟ (to protect jobs).
Leave in phase 3 „Hand car washes that
do not use hosepipes‟ (to protect jobs and
reward water efficient businesses) and
„Mechanical car washes that recycle
water‟ (to reward water efficient
businesses).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
69
Restriction Views about
importance
Views about
amount of
water used
Views about
alternatives
Other points to
consider
Recommendations
Cleaning windows
on commercial
buildings
(2 restrictions:
„Cleaning windows
on commercial
buildings‟ and
„Cleaning windows
on commercial
buildings them with
water fed poles‟)
- Very important to
protect jobs for
window cleaners
- Not important to
clean windows (and
no more important to
clean windows on
commercial buildings
than at home)
Not discussed
much – little
awareness of
water fed
poles
Not discussed Suggested
cutting back
rather than
banning
Change both restrictions
(i) so they only relate to window
cleaners cleaning windows (so it is
clear that the later restrictions are
intended to protect window cleaners)
(ii) so they include domestic as well as
commercial buildings (which would be
seen as fairer).
Leave in phase 2 „Cleaning windows
on commercial buildings and domestic
buildings by window cleaners‟ (to
protect jobs).
Leave in phase 3 „Cleaning windows
on commercial and domestic buildings
by window cleaners using water fed
poles‟ (to protect jobs and reward
water efficient businesses).
Watering plants at
commercial
premises
(2 restrictions: „Water
outdoor plants at
commercial
buildings‟ and
„Water newly
bought plants at
commercial
properties & water
plants with drip &
micro-irrigation ‟)
- Very important to
protect nurseries,
garden centres, and
food crops
- Not important to
water outdoor plants
(and no more
important to water
plants at domestic
premises than at
home)
Not discussed
much – little
awareness of
micro and
drip irrigation
systems
Use rain water Suggested
cutting back
rather than
banning
Move to phase 1 „Watering outdoor
plants at commercial buildings‟ and
„Watering newly bought plants at
commercial premises‟.
Leave in phase 3 restrictions to protect
nurseries and garden centres (Although
not discussed by participants, it might
be worth splitting this into two
restrictions: a phase 2 restriction for all
nurseries and garden centres, and a
phase 3 restriction for nurseries and
garden centres with micro and drip
irrigation systems).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
70
Table 3.2 Feedback about restrictions on activities that use water for leisure purposes
Restriction Views about importance Views about
amount of
water used
Views about
alternatives
Other points
to consider
Recommendations
Watering
national and
international
sports
grounds
Views differed
- Not important because it will
not affect jobs; no problem for
fans to miss some matches;
and no more important for
sports people than „normal‟
people to have green sports
grounds
- Important because it benefits
the economy; and watching
matches is important to fans
- Particularly important for
occasional events, events with
large numbers of observers
and events which benefit the
economy
Large amount
of water used
- Source water
elsewhere
- Play on ground
which have not
been watered
- Replace turf
with astro-turf
- 54% of
survey
respondents
support
restriction at
same time as
restrictions on
households
- Very strong
feelings
about
importance
of restricting
earlier
- Suggested
cutting back
rather than
banning
- Move to phase 1 (in line with the
majority view on the survey).
- Alternatively find some way of
substantially cutting back on water use,
beyond the suggestions currently in the
Drought Plan.
- Consider being more lenient towards
occasional events, events with large
numbers of observers, and events which
benefit the economy.
Filling or
topping up
commercial
pools
Important for exercise, health,
and children‟s fun, particularly
during the summer
Not discussed Not discussed n/a Move to the same phase as „Watering
national and international sports grounds‟
(to deal with concerns around equity).
(But if Southern Water would prefer to
keep changes to a minimum, it would be
fine to leave in phase 2.)
Filling or
topping up
ponds
Fairly important to protect fish
which might be expensive to
replace
Not discussed Use „recycled‟
water
n/a Leave in phase 2 (to protect fish)).
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
71
Table 3.3 Feedback about restrictions on activities with other purposes
Restriction Views about importance Views about
amount of
water used
Views about
alternatives
Other points
to consider
Recommendations
Operating
cisterns
Important for hygiene reasons
(but misunderstand what was
being proposed and thought
cisterns would not operate at
all)
Large amount
of water used
(shocked that
any cisterns
operate all
the time)
Not discussed Very strong
feelings in
focus groups
Move to phase 1 (because of strong
feelings about water wasted by cisterns
operating all the time)
Suppressing
dust
Important for health and
safety reasons
Large amount
of water used
Use rain water Unsure what
was meant
by
„suppressing
dust‟
Leave in phase 2 (as it did not arouse
strong feelings & it tended to be seen as
important for health and safety reasons)
Cleaning
industrial
plant
Not discussed Not discussed Not discussed Barely
discussed in
focus groups
Leave in phase 3 (as it did not arouse
strong feelings)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
72
4 Conclusions ________________________________________________________
This chapter briefly summarises findings relating to the questions addressed by the
customer research.
4.1 What do customers know and feel about droughts and restrictions?
Factors which could result in substantial savings in response to restrictions
Domestic customers reported a very high level of compliance with restrictions, with
nine in ten saying they would stick to the rules all the time3. This was probably due
to a combination of factors: the impacts of restrictions would be negligible for
most households; there is social pressure to comply; there is a fear of fines; and
there is a feeling among some customers that restrictions are justified.
As well as changing their outdoor water use to comply with restrictions, there was
some evidence that customers are willing to go beyond what is required and
make small changes to their everyday water use indoors. They could see the
sense in doing this in order to reduce consumption to deal with drought.
Customers who had experienced recent restrictions seemed to be fairly well
informed about them. Most importantly, they generally realised that they were
compulsory and understood what they covered (i.e. they should not use hosepipes
for any purpose).
There was a tendency to think that restrictions had happened more frequently and
recently than they had. While this led to a little annoyance at restrictions
happening too often, it suggests that restrictions and related issues are well
publicised and are on customers‟ radar. Customers are therefore unlikely to miss
them when they do in fact happen in their area.
Factors which could make it harder to achieve substantial savings in response to
restrictions
Customers who have reduced their consumption since moving to a meter will
have less room to make savings when a ban is introduced. Therefore universal
metering is likely to lead to a smaller response than in the past when restrictions are
introduced. However, there is also an opportunity associated with metering:
metered customers might be more likely to comply than unmetered customers if
they believe that non-compliance can be detected somehow through their meter.
Some participants objected to restrictions on principle, irrespective of how much
they were personally affected by them. They questioned whether they are a
necessary, effective, and fair way of dealing with drought. Where objections were
based on lack of knowledge (e.g. about the triggers for drought) or
3 It is possible that there may have been some over-reporting of compliance although steps were taken to minimise this in the survey as far as possible.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
73
misconceptions (e.g. about leakage levels), they could be addressed through
communications.
About three quarters of business customers that depend on water (window
cleaners, car washes, garden centres, nurseries, and public parks) said on the
survey that restrictions would affect their business somewhat or a great deal.
About two thirds also said that they would comply with restrictions all the time but,
given the high level of concern around negative impacts, this seems optimistic.
Table 1 Summary of main factors affecting savings during restrictions
Factors supporting substantial
savings when restrictions are
introduced
Challenges to achieving
substantial savings when
restrictions are introduced
High level of compliance
among domestic customers
Willingness to go beyond what
is required and make small
changes to indoor water use
Understanding about what
restrictions cover and that they
are compulsory among
customers who recently
experienced them
Restrictions well publicised and
on customers‟ „radar‟
Universal metering likely to
result in smaller savings than
the past when restrictions are
introduced because some
customers have already
reduced discretionary water
use.
But universal metering could
lead to higher levels of
compliance if customers worry
that non-compliance can be
detected somehow through
their meter
Objections to restrictions – are
they really necessary, effective
and fair?
But objections based on
misconceptions and lack of
knowledge can be addressed
through communications
High level of concern about
impacts of restrictions among
businesses that depend on
water
4.2 What are customers’ views about the phasing of measures and
restrictions in the draft Drought Plan? Support for the current plan
There was strong support across the sample for introducing restrictions before
increasing abstraction. This would protect the environment and help ensure
limited supplies of water are not wasted on non-essential activities.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
74
Customers were in favour of restricting non-essential domestic activities as soon as
restrictions are needed because they could forgo them without much difficulty.
Customers thought it made sense to postpone two main types of restrictions until
the drought was very severe: commercial activities that could impact on jobs (i.e.
cleaning windows, washing cars, and watering plants at nurseries and garden
centres); and commercial activities that are water efficient.
Opposition to the current plan
Customers were strongly opposed to restrictions on commercial activities being
introduced later than restrictions on identical domestic activities (i.e. watering
outdoor plants and cleaning windows). They felt equally strongly about
commercial activities with solely „cosmetic‟ purposes (i.e. removing graffiti and
cleaning commercial vehicles). It was argued that these restrictions should be
introduced at the same time as restrictions on households, with some caveats (e.g.
where jobs would be affected).
Views differed about the current plan
There was support from some customers and opposition from other customers on a
number of restrictions. The two restrictions that were most controversial,
generating the most debate and the strongest feelings, were:
Watering allotments
Watering national and international sports grounds
Cutting back rather than banning
Where customers were concerned about the negative impacts of restrictions, they
sometimes suggested cutting back rather than banning activities to minimise the
impacts. In the draft Drought Plan this approach is only taken in the proposed
restriction on watering national and international sports grounds. Customers
suggested using it more widely. For instance, plants at nurseries could be watered
more sparingly and commercial vehicles cleaned less often with hosepipes, rather
than not at all.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
75
Table 2 Summary of feedback about the draft Drought Plan
Aspects that
customers tended to
support
Aspects where
customers’ views
differed
Aspects that
customers tended to
oppose
1. Introducing
restrictions before
increasing
abstraction
2. Restricting non-
essential domestic
activities as soon
as restrictions are
needed
3. Restricting when
drought is severe:
- Commercial
activities that
could impact on
jobs
- Commercial
activities that are
water efficient
Several restrictions,
particularly
1. Watering
allotments
2. Watering national
and international
sports grounds
Restricting when
drought is severe
commercial activities
that are not seen as
important i.e.
1. Commercial
activities that are
identical to
domestic activities
restricted earlier
2. Commercial
activities with
„cosmetic‟
purposes
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
76
Annex A Profile of focus group participants ______________________________________________________________________
Characteristic Number of
participants
Target Achieved
Area
Hove 6-8 8
Horsham 6-8 7
Winchester 6-8 8
Rochester 6-8 7
Ramsgate 6-8 6
Isle of Wight 6-8 8
Hastings 6-8 8
Metering status
Unmetered 15-25 17
Metered not under UMP 15-25 21
Newly metered under UMP 12-16 14
Age
30 or under At least 14 12
31 to 60 At least 14 24
61 or over At least 14 16
Gender
Women 21-35 29
Men 21-35 23
SEG
ABC1 18-24 23
C2DE 24-32 29
Concern about water scarcity
Concerned At least 14 23
Not concerned At least 14 15
Neither No quota 14
Discretionary water use
Water garden with hosepipe at least 10
times/year At least 14 15
Clean car with hosepipe at least 2 times/year At least 14 13
Fill paddling pool at least once/year At least 14 15
Have swimming pool No quota 2
Have pond No quota 7
Have pressure washer No quota 11
Total 42-56 52
Most of the quotas were met. However, there were slightly fewer participants
aged under 30, and slightly fewer participants that cleaned their car with a
hosepipe than we had aimed for. There were also more participants who were
concerned than not concerned about water scarcity.
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
77
Annex B Topic guide for focus groups ____________________________________________________________________
The topic guide lists topics to cover in the focus groups, rather than questions to ask. The
wording of questions and order in which topics are covered is flexible, depending on
issues that the focus group participants raise. We will explore answers in detail, particularly
to understand reasons for them.
Overview
Focus groups will last 2 hours.
Introduction (5 MINUTES)
1. Background (5 MINUTES)
2. Experiences of and understanding about drought (20 MINUTES)
3. Views about phasing of measures (10 MINUTES)
4. Views about restrictions on water use (30 MINUTES)
5. Views about communicating about drought and restrictions (40 MINUTES)
6. Summing up (5 MINUTES)
7. Questions to/from observers (5 MINUTES)
Introduction (5 MINUTES)
Introduce moderator and observers
Explain purpose of focus group: to help Southern Water deal with drought in a way
that customers are most comfortable with & READ FACT SHEET
Introduce audio recorder
Explain about confidentiality
Explain ground rules: no right/wrong answers (just want to hear their views), feel free to
disagree, talk one at a time because of audio recorder
Any questions?
1. Background (5 MINUTES)
ROUND THE TABLE
Household composition
Employment and leisure activities
2. Experiences of and understanding about drought (20 MINUTES)
a. To get a feel for customers‟ general openness to restrictions, including how
this is affected by metering status
b. To get a feel for customers‟ understanding about drought, including their
knowledge about measures to deal with drought and misconceptions that
might make them less open to any measures
c. To find out how customers learnt about drought and restrictions in the past
READ FACTSHEET: WHAT IS DROUGHT?
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
78
Experience of drought
What is the most recent drought they can remember
What are the most recent restrictions they can remember
Communication
How they found out that there was a drought/restrictions
What they remember hearing/being told
Water use and restrictions during drought
What, if anything, they did differently during restrictions
Whether they knew what they were supposed to do differently i.e.
- Whether they understood what hosepipe bans covered – what
- Whether they knew that restrictions were compulsory
What they ordinarily use water for outdoors – whether they use a hosepipe
How they felt about restricting their water use i.e. not just being able to use whatever
however they like – IF ANNOYED what water use this related to
What, if anything, they did differently besides not using hosepipe – why
Whether they continued doing anything differently after hosepipe ban ended
IN UMP AREAS Whether being on a meter will make any difference to how they
respond to restrictions in future
Whether being on a meter/not being on a meter has made any difference to how
they responded to restrictions
What they think water companies do to help alleviate droughts, besides introducing
restrictions
3. Views about phasing of measures (10 MINUTES)
a. To find out what participants think about the proposed phasing of supply-
side and demand-side measure
b. To check understanding of communications material which explains
phasing of measures
READ FACTSHEET: WHAT CAN SOUTHERN WATER DO TO DEAL WITH DROUGHT?
READ FACTSHEET: WHEN WILL SOUTHERN WATER TAKE EACH ACTION?
Understanding of measures and phasing of measures
How clear they found this info
Whether there is anything confusing or not clear - IF YES, what
CLARIFY ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Views about phasing of measures
Whether they think it is right for restrictions on water use to be introduced before more
water is taken from the environment – why/why not
How knowing about the proposed phasing of measures makes them feel about
drought and restrictions
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
79
4. Views about restrictions on water use (30 MINUTES)
a. To check understanding of communications material which explains
temporary bans, and to find an effective way of describing them
b. To find out what participants think about the proposed order of
introducing restrictions, including whether they think restrictions should be
applied to domestic customers before commercial customers
c. To get a feel for how fair and appropriate participants think restrictions
are, and how concerned they are about them
READ FACTSHEET: HOW & WHEN WILL SOUTHERN WATER INTRODUCE RESTRICTIONS?
Views about order of introducing restrictions for different customers
Whether they think that businesses should have restrictions introduced later than
domestic customers e.g. when drought is severe, rather than as soon as there is a
drought – why/why not
Whether they think that public services should have restrictions introduced later than
domestic customers – why/why not
READ FACTSHEETS SHOWING PHASING OF RESTRICTIONS, THEN HAND OUT
Understanding of restrictions
How clear they found this info
Whether there is anything confusing or not clear – IF YES, what
CLARIFY ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Views about order of introducing restrictions on different activities
Whether there are any restrictions in the 1st phase that seem out of place i.e. should be
introduced later – IF YES, which and why
Whether there are any restrictions in the 2nd or 3rd phase that should be introduced
earlier – IF YES, which and why
READ FACT SHEET: HOW SHOULD RESTRICTIONS BE DESCRIBED?
Name for temporary bans KEEP BRIEF
Which of these names they like best – why
What they think about „temporary ban‟ – why
IF THEY ARE NOT KEEN ON THE WORD „BAN‟ – what they think of „hosepipe ban‟
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
80
5. Views about communicating about drought and restrictions (40 MINUTES)
a. To find out from what sources participants would like to get messages
about drought and restrictions
b. To find out what third party endorsements would help to make messages
about drought and restrictions more credible
Sources of information
HAND OUT: WHERE HAVE YOU GOT USEFUL INFORMATION FROM?
ASK PARTICIPANTS TO MARK THREE SOURCES FROM WHICH THEY HAVE LEARNT LOTS OF
USEFUL THINGS THAT ARE NOT TO DO WITH WATER
FROM THE HANDOUT From which sources they have they learnt lots of useful things that
are not to do with water
Whether they would take notice of these sources if they gave information about
drought and restrictions – why/why not
Whether they would use the same sources as usual in a drought – why/why not
How else they would like to hear about restrictions – ask for examples of where this
source has influenced them in the past
Third party endorsements
HAND OUT: WHO WOULD YOU TRUST TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT DROUGHT?
ASK PARTICIPANTS TO MARK THREE 3RD PARTIES WHO THEY WOULD TRUST MOST TO GIVE
THEM INFO ABOUT DROUGHT & RESTRICTIONS
FROM THE HANDOUT Who they would trust most to give them information about
drought and restrictions – why – ask for examples of where this third part has influenced
them in the past
Who else they would trust to give them information about drought and restrictions –
ask for examples of where this third part has influenced them in the past
6. Summing up (5 MINUTES)
a. To hear any suggestions or views that participants have not yet mentioned
b. To end the focus group on a constructive positive note
Thinking back over everything discussed this evening, what are most important things
Southern Water should do if there is a drought in next few years
Anything else they would like to add
7. Questions to/from observers (5 MINUTES)
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
81
Annex C Part 1 Fact sheets used in focus groups ____________________________________________________________________________
Why does Southern Water wish to hear your views? • Southern Water has a Drought Plan which
sets out how they would deal with a drought.
• They update the Drought Plan every three
years and submit it to Defra for approval. • They are consulting customers before they
finalise the new plan. • The main changes to the Drought Plan are
around restrictions on water use during drought, brought in under new legislation.
What is a drought? A drought occurs when a long period of time with little rain leads to a shortage of water. There is shortage of water for people to use in their daily lives, for the natural environment, for agriculture, and for industry.
What can Southern Water do to deal with drought? There are many actions that Southern Water can take to deal with drought.
Some actions will make more water available. The main ones are: • Doing even more than usual
to reduce leakage • Getting permission to take
more water than usual from rivers and natural underground water stores
Some actions will work to reduce the amount of water that customers use, such as: • Running adverts asking
customers to be more careful than usual with water
• Restricting certain activities that use water
When is Southern Water planning to take each action? Some actions affect customers, and some affect the natural environment. Southern Water has to consider the needs of both.
Southern Water plans to take actions with little effect on its customers or the environment. For instance, one of the first actions it will take is to do even more than usual to reduce leakage.
Southern Water plans to introduce temporary bans. These will include bans on filling swimming pools & paddling pools, and using hosepipe for washing cars & watering gardens.
Southern Water plans to apply for permission to take more water from rivers and underground water stores. It can only do this once it has made full use of temporary bans.
How & when will Southern Water introduce restrictions? Southern Water can introduce some restrictions as soon as there is a drought. These temporary bans mainly affect water use at home.
To introduce further restrictions, Southern Water has to apply for a drought order. These restrictions mainly affect businesses (such as window cleaners, car washes, and garden centres) and public services (such as parks, sports grounds and swimming pools).
Southern Water plans to introduce restrictions in three phases shown on the next factsheets.
How often has Southern Water introduced restrictions? Droughts can affect different areas in different ways. This is because different areas receive different levels of rain and are supplied from different water sources. So restrictions will not necessarily be introduced across the whole of the area that Southern Water supplies with water. In the last 20 years, restrictions have been imposed: • In Hampshire – no restrictions • In Isle of Wight – 2 years • In Kent – 6-8 years • In Sussex – 7-8 years
How should restrictions be described?
1 Temporary ban 2 Water restrictions 3 Water ban 4 Non-essential use restrictions 5 Drought ban 6 Water saving campaign 7 Water waste regulations 8 Drought law 9 Beat-the-drought ban 10 Drought status red
Where have you got useful information from?
1 Company websites 2 Leaflets or letters put through your door 3 Ads in local newspapers 4 Ads on local radio 5 Leaflets to pick up in shops and public places 6 Posters in shops and public places 7 Stands at shopping centres etc 8 Twitter 9 Facebook 10 Texts sent to you by companies 11 Anywhere else?
Who would you trust to give info about drought? 1 Weather forecasters 2 Well known gardeners 3 Other well-known people e.g. footballers, athletes 4 WWF 5 RSPB 6 Local wildlife trusts 7 Your local council 8 Your local MP 9 Environment Agency 10 Defra 11 Southern Water 12 Your friends and neighbours 13 Anyone else?
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
91
Annex C Part 2 Phasing of restrictions ______________________________________________________________________
Watering a gardenwith a hosepipe –lawns, parks,public gardens,allotments andgrass used forsport andrecreation
Watering domesticplants witha hosepipe
Using a hosepipefor domesticrecreation
Cleaning domesticwindows, walls,paths or patioswith a hosepipe
Washing privatecars or boatswith a hosepipe
Filling or toppingup domesticswimming poolsand padding pools
Filling or toppingup an ornamentalfountain
Cleaning outdoorsurfaces with ahosepipe
Drought conditions – Phase 1
Water restrictions:
Wateringoutdoor plantsat commercialbuildings
Filling or toppingup a pond
Cleaning vehicles –including boats,planes and trainsand carriages
Cleaning windows atcommercial buildings
Suppressing dust Operating cisterns
Filling or toppingup a commercialswimming poolor paddling pool
Running amechanicalvehicle washer
Cleaningcommercialpremises
Severe Drought – Phase 2
Drought Order restrictions:
Using a hosepipeto water sports andrecreation surfacesfor national andinternational events– restricted to twohours per weekand only between7pm and 7am
Using a hosepipewith water-fedpoles as a smallbusiness to removegraffiti fromwindows, walls andoutdoor surfaceson domestic andcommercialproperties
Operating amechanical carwash whichrecycles waterand uses less than23 litres of tapwater per vehicle
Using a hosepipefor car washingby businessesspecialising inhand washing
Watering newlybought plantsat commercialproperties andwatering plantswith drip andmicro-irrigationsystems
Cleaning vehicles,boats, aircraftand railway stockto remove graffiti
Cleaning windowson non-domesticbuildings by smallbusinesses usingwater-fed poles
Cleaningindustrial plant
Severe Drought – Phase 3
Drought Order extended restrictions:
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
95
Annex D Framework for analysis for focus groups ____________________________________________________________________
CHART 1. PARTICIPANT DETAILS
1.1 Household composition
1.2 Employment
1.3 Leisure
1.4 Other/ miscellaneous
CHART 2. EXPERIENCES OF & UNDERSTANDING ABOUT DROUGHT
2.1 Droughts/restrictions they can remember
2.2 Finding out about drought and restrictions
2.3 Water use during droughts and when hosepipe bans are in place
2.4 Water use outdoors
2.5 Careful water use
2.6 Water meters
2.7 Beliefs about cause of drought and restrictions
2.8 Water company actions
2.9 Other/miscellaneous
CHART 3. VIEWS ABOUT PHASING OF MESASURES
3.1 Clarity of information
3.2 Views about restricting water use before increasing abstraction from rivers
3.3 Views about bulk transfers
3.4 Other/miscellaneous
CHART 4. VIEWS ABOUT RESTRICTIONS ON WATER USE
4.1 Views about restricting domestic customers before non-domestic customers
4.2 Clarity of information about phasing of restrictions
4.3 Activities they thought should be restricted later than planned
4.4 Activities they thought should be restricted earlier than planned
4.5 Other views about order of restricting activities
4.6 Other/miscellaneous
CHART 5. NAME FOR TEMPORARY BAN
5.1 Temporary ban
5.2 Water restrictions
5.3 Water ban
5.4 Non-essential use restrictions
5.5 Drought ban
5.6 Water saving campaign
5.7 Water waste regulations
5.8 Drought law
5.9 Beat-the-drought ban
5.10 Drought status red
5.11 Other names suggested by participants
5.12 Communicating that restrictions are compulsory
5.13 Hosepipe bans
5.14 Other/miscellaneous
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
96
For each name
(a) Whether they liked it/chose it as one of their preferred name – why/why not
(b) Whether they did not like it/chose it as their least preferred name – why/why not
CHART 6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
6.1 Company websites
6.2 Leaflets/letters put through their door
6.3 Ads in local newspapers
6.4 Ads on local radios
6.5 Leaflets to pick up in shops and public places
6.6 Posters in shops and public places
6.7 Stands at shopping centres
6.8 Twitter
6.9 Facebook
6.10 Texts sent to them by companies
6.11 Other sources suggested by participants
6.12 Other/miscellaneous
For each source of information please record the following
(a) Whether they chose it as one of their top three sources of information – why/why not
(b) What sorts of things they have learnt from this source
(c) Whether they think it would be a good source of information about drought and
restrictions – why/why not
(d) Other comments about the information source
CHART 7. THIRD PARTY ENDORSEMENTS
7.1 Weather forecasters
7.2 Well known gardeners
7.3 Other well-known people/ celebrities
7.4 WWF
7.5 RSPB
7.6 Local wildlife trusts
7.7 Your local council
7.8. Your local MP
7.9 Environment Agency
7.10 Defra
7.11 Southern Water
7.12 Your friends and neighbours
7.13 Other third party endorsements suggested by participants
7.14 Other/miscellaneous
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
97
Annex E Questionnaire for domestic customers ______________________________________________________________________
Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is … from GfK NOP the research
agency. We are conducting a very short survey on behalf of Southern Water who
supplies your water. Your answers will be strictly confidential and your details will
not be passed to any third party.
Before we start the survey I need to just check that you are in an area that
Southern Water supplies with water so can I just take your postcode?
Enter postcode and check that it is listed. Repeat back to the respondent
phonetically if necessary.
Thank you. To ensure we talk to a representative sample of people I need to start
by recording some information about you.
CODE GENDER
- Male
- Female
Q1 Are you currently…
- Working full time
- Working part time
- Not working
Q2 Which of the following age brackets applies to you?
- 18-34
- 35-54
- 55+
Q3 Does your household have a water meter?
IF NEEDED EXPLAIN A water meter records the amount of water used in your
home so you pay for how much water you use.
DO NOT READ OUT, CODE TO UNPROMPTED LIST
- Yes, I/we have a water meter
- No, I/we don‟t have a water meter
- Don‟t know
Q4a Does your household have a garden or another outdoor space, for example
a courtyard or roof terrace? Please include those which are shared.
- Yes
- No
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
98
IF YES
Q4b Does anyone in your household water the garden or plants in the outdoor
space using a hosepipe or sprinkler?
- Yes
- No
- Don‟t know (UNPROMPTED)
IF YES
Q4c Thinking back to the period of time between May and September of last
year, 2011, how often did someone in your household do this?
- At least once a week
- At least once a fortnight
- At least once a month
- At least every 1-2 months
- At least every 3-4 months
- Less often than this
Q5 In the last 12 months, did anyone in your household use a hosepipe, sprinkler,
or pressure washer for any of the following at home?
- To clean a car or van
- To clean a path, patio, windows, or walls
- To fill or top up a pond
- For any other purpose PLEASE SPECIFY
Q6 In the last 12 months, did anyone in your household fill or top up the
following at home?
- A paddling pool
- A swimming pool
- A fountain
READ INFO A drought occurs when a long period of time with little rain leads to a
shortage of water. During a drought, Southern Water can introduce bans, like
hosepipe bans, to stop customers using water outdoors in certain ways. This
summer there will be bans for some customers with water supplied by Southern
Water.
Q7a FOR CUSTOMERS IN KENT AND SUSSEX When there is a ban this summer will
OTHERS If there was a ban this summer, would
you keep to the rules…
- All of the time
- Most of the time
- Some of the time
- Not at all
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
99
Q7b FOR CUSTOMERS IN KENT AND SUSSEX When there is a ban this summer will
OTHERS If there was a ban this summer, would
your household be affected…
- A great deal
- A fair amount
- Not very much
- Not at all
Q7c IF A GREAT DEAL/A FAIR AMOUNT
What makes you say that this would affect your household [a great deal/a
fair amount]?
Q7d IF NOT VERY MUCH/NOT AT ALL
What makes you say that this would not affect your household [very
much/at all]?
READ INFO Most of the water that Southern Water supplies to its customers comes
from rivers and natural underground water stores called aquifers. During a drought,
more water than usual is sometimes taken from these sources. At the moment,
bans like hosepipe bans are introduced before taking more water. This is because
taking more water can affect the natural environment, for instance wildlife living in
rivers.
Q8 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what
Southern Water should do during a drought? RANDOMIZE ORDER OF
STATEMENTS
- Take more water from rivers and aquifers before introducing bans
- Introduce bans before taking more water from rivers and aquifers
READ INFO Bans, like hosepipe bans, can affect businesses such as garden centres,
car washes, and window cleaners. At the moment, Southern Water introduces
bans on households first. This is because bans on businesses can affect people‟s
livelihoods.
Q9 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what
Southern Water should do during a drought? RANDOMIZE ORDER OF
STATEMENTS
- Introduce bans on businesses at the same time as bans on households
- Introduce bans on businesses after bans on households
Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on
households?
Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens
Using a hosepipe to water allotments
Using a hosepipe to water national and international sports grounds
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
100
- At the same time
- After
THANK AND CLOSE
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
101
Annex F Questionnaire for non-domestic
customers ______________________________________________________________________
NOTE in questions with business/organisation use organisation for public park
administrators and business for others.
Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is … from GfK NOP the research
agency. We are conducting a very short survey on behalf of Southern Water who
supplies your water. Your answers will be strictly confidential and your details will
not be passed to any third party.
Before we start the survey I need to just check that your business is in an area that
Southern Water supplies with water so can I just take your postcode?
Enter postcode and check that it is listed.
Thank you. To ensure we talk to a representative sample of
businesses/organisations I need to start by recording some information about your
business/organisation.
Q1 In which of the following sectors does your business/organisation operate?
- Car washing INCLUDE PETROL STATIONS
- Window cleaning
- Garden centre/nursery
- Public park administrator
Q2 And how many staff does your business/organisation employ?
- 0 (sole trader)
- 1-10
- 11-50
- 51-100
- 101-250
- 251-500
- 500+
Q3 Does your business/organisation have a water meter?
IF NEEDED EXPLAIN A water meter records the amount of water used so you
pay for how much water you use.
- Yes, I/we have a water meter
- No, I/we don‟t have a water meter
- Don‟t know
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
102
Q4a Who in your business/organisation sees and/or pays the bill from Southern
Water?
- I see and/or pay the bill
- Someone else sees and pays the bill SKIP TO Q5a
- We don‟t get a bill from Southern Water because
our water comes from a private borehole SKIP TO Q5a
- We don‟t get a bill from Southern Water because
we use water from home SKIP TO Q5a
- Other SKIP TO Q5a
- Don‟t know SKIP TO Q5a
Q4b How often does your business/organisation pay Southern Water?
- Monthly
- 6 monthly
- Yearly
- Other (please specify)
- Don‟t know - Q5a
Q4c How much did your business/organisation pay Southern Water [last month/in
the previous 6 months/last year (that is 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011)] in
pounds to the nearest whole number?
ENTER AMOUNT
Don‟ t know
READ INFO A drought occurs when a long period of time with little rain leads to a
shortage of water. During a drought, Southern Water can introduce bans, like
hosepipe bans, to stop customers using water outdoors in certain ways. This
summer there will be bans for some customers with water supplied by Southern
Water.
Q5a FOR KENT AND SUSSEX When there is a ban this summer, will
FOR OTHERS If there was a ban this summer, would
your business/organisation keep to the rules…
- All of the time
- Most of the time
- Some of the time
- Not at all
Q5b FOR KENT AND SUSSEX When there is a ban this summer will
FOR OTHERS If there was a ban this summer, would
your business/organisation be affected…
- A great deal
- A fair amount
- Not very much
- Not at all
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
103
Q5c IF A GREAT DEAL/A FAIR AMOUNT
What makes you say that this would affect your business/organisation [a
great deal/a fair amount]?
OPEN
Q5d IF NOT VERY MUCH/NOT AT ALL
What makes you say that this would not affect your business/organisation
[very much/at all]?
OPEN
READ INFO Most of the water that Southern Water supplies to its customers comes
from rivers and natural underground water stores called aquifers. During a drought,
more water than usual is sometimes taken from these sources. At the moment,
bans like hosepipe bans are introduced before taking more water. This is because
taking more water can affect the natural environment, for instance wildlife living in
rivers.
Q6 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what
Southern Water should do during a drought? RANDOMISE ORDER OF
STATEMENTS
- Take more water from rivers and aquifers before introducing bans
- Introduce bans before taking more water from rivers and aquifers
READ INFO Bans, like hosepipe bans, can affect businesses such as garden centres,
car washes, and window cleaners. At the moment, Southern Water introduces
bans on households first. This is because bans on organisations can affect
people‟s livelihoods.
Q7 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what
Southern Water should do during a drought? RANDOMISE ORDER OF
STATEMENTS
- Introduce bans on businesses at the same time as bans on households
- Introduce bans on businesses after bans on households
Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on
households?
Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens
Watering plants at nurseries and garden centres
Cleaning windows carried out by window cleaners
Washing cars carried out by car washes including mechanical and hand car
washes
- At the same time
- After
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
104
THANK AND CLOSE
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
105
Annex G Results from survey with domestic
customers
Page 1
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
PAGE TABLE TITLE TOTAL
1 1 Q1 Are you currently ...? 402Base: All
2 2 Q2 Which of the following age brackets applies to you? 402Base: All
3 3 Q3 Does your household have a water meter? 402Base: All
4 4 Q4a Does your household have a garden or another outdoor space, for example a courtyard or roof terrace? Please include those which are shared. 402Base: All
5 5 Q4b Does anyone in your household water the garden or plants in the outdoor space using a hosepipe or sprinkler? 357Base: All who have a garden
6 6 Q4c Thinking back to the period of time between May and September of last year, 2011, how often did someone in your household do this? 94Base: All who water their garden with a hosepipe
7 7 Q5 In the last 12 months, did anyone in your household use a hosepipe, sprinkler, or pressure washer for any of the following at home? 402Base: All
8 8 Q6 In the last 12 months, did anyone in your household fill or top up the following at home? 402Base: All
9 9 Q7a When there is / if there was a ban this summer would you keep to the rules ...? 402Base: All
10 10 Q7b When there is / if there was a ban this summer would your household be affected ...? 402Base: All
11 11 Q8 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought? 402Base: All
12 12 Q9 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought? 402Base: All
13 13 Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? 402***Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens***Base: All
14 14 Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? 402***Using a hosepipe to water allotments***Base: All
Page 2
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
PAGE TABLE TITLE TOTAL
15 15 Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? 402***Using a hosepipe to water national and international sports grounds***Base: All
16 16 Base: All 0Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? - Summary
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 1 Page 1
10 Apr 2012Q1 Are you currently ...?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Working full time 170 106 64 78 76 16 170 - - 85 82 87 8342% 59% 29% 72% 52% 11% 100% - - 37% 49% 45% 40%
Working part time 61 11 50 17 29 15 - 61 - 39 22 32 2915% 6% 23% 16% 20% 10% - 100% - 17% 13% 16% 14%
Not working 171 63 108 14 41 116 - - 171 103 64 76 9543% 35% 49% 13% 28% 79% - - 100% 45% 38% 39% 46%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 2 Page 2
10 Apr 2012Q2 Which of the following age brackets applies to you?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
18-34 109 58 51 109 - - 78 17 14 56 50 45 6427% 32% 23% 100% - - 46% 28% 8% 25% 30% 23% 31%
35-54 146 58 88 - 146 - 76 29 41 84 61 74 7236% 32% 40% - 100% - 45% 48% 24% 37% 36% 38% 35%
55+ 147 64 83 - - 147 16 15 116 87 57 76 7137% 36% 37% - - 100% 9% 25% 68% 38% 34% 39% 34%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 3 Page 3
10 Apr 2012Q3 Does your household have a water meter?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Yes, I/ we have a water 227 101 126 56 84 87 85 39 103 227 - 112 115meter 56% 56% 57% 51% 58% 59% 50% 64% 60% 100% - 57% 56%
No, I/ we don’t have a water 168 74 94 50 61 57 82 22 64 - 168 82 86meter 42% 41% 42% 46% 42% 39% 48% 36% 37% - 100% 42% 42%
Don’t know 7 5 2 3 1 3 3 - 4 - - 1 62% 3% 1% 3% 1% 2% 2% - 2% - - 1% 3%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 4 Page 4
10 Apr 2012Q4a Does your household have a garden or another outdoor space, for example a courtyard or roof terrace? Please include those which are shared.
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Yes 357 158 199 92 132 133 150 58 149 205 145 188 16989% 88% 90% 84% 90% 90% 88% 95% 87% 90% 86% 96% 82%
No 45 22 23 17 14 14 20 3 22 22 23 7 3811% 12% 10% 16% 10% 10% 12% 5% 13% 10% 14% 4% 18%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 5 Page 5
10 Apr 2012Q4b Does anyone in your household water the garden or plants in the outdoor space using a hosepipe or sprinkler?
Base: All who have a garden
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 357 158 199 92 132 133 150 58 149 205 145 188 169
Yes 94 46 48 22 31 41 42 13 39 55 38 94 -26% 29% 24% 24% 23% 31% 28% 22% 26% 27% 26% 50% -
No 262 112 150 70 101 91 108 45 109 149 107 94 16873% 71% 75% 76% 77% 68% 72% 78% 73% 73% 74% 50% 99%
Don’t know 1 - 1 - - 1 - - 1 1 - - 1* - 1% - - 1% - - 1% * - - 1%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 6 Page 6
10 Apr 2012Q4c Thinking back to the period of time between May and September of last year, 2011, how often did someone in your household do this?
Base: All who water their garden with a hosepipe
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 94 46 48 22 31 41 42 13 39 55 38 94 -
At least once a week 38 24 14 10 10 18 18 6 14 25 13 38 -40% 52% 29% 45% 32% 44% 43% 46% 36% 45% 34% 40% -
At least once a fortnight 26 14 12 8 9 9 14 3 9 14 12 26 -28% 30% 25% 36% 29% 22% 33% 23% 23% 25% 32% 28% -
At least once a month 11 3 8 1 5 5 4 1 6 3 8 11 -12% 7% 17% 5% 16% 12% 10% 8% 15% 5% 21% 12% -
At least every 1-2 months 5 2 3 1 2 2 3 - 2 3 2 5 -5% 4% 6% 5% 6% 5% 7% - 5% 5% 5% 5% -
At least every 3-4 months 5 2 3 - 3 2 1 2 2 4 1 5 -5% 4% 6% - 10% 5% 2% 15% 5% 7% 3% 5% -
Less often than this 9 1 8 2 2 5 2 1 6 6 2 9 -10% 2% 17% 9% 6% 12% 5% 8% 15% 11% 5% 10% -
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 7 Page 7
10 Apr 2012Q5 In the last 12 months, did anyone in your household use a hosepipe, sprinkler, or pressure washer for any of the following at home?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Yes, to clean a car or van 93 53 40 26 35 32 52 8 33 49 44 93 -23% 29% 18% 24% 24% 22% 31% 13% 19% 22% 26% 48% -
Yes, to clean a path, patio, 51 30 21 12 22 17 25 6 20 32 19 51 -windows, or walls 13% 17% 9% 11% 15% 12% 15% 10% 12% 14% 11% 26% -
Yes, to fill or top up a 41 17 24 6 15 20 13 7 21 26 15 41 -pond 10% 9% 11% 6% 10% 14% 8% 11% 12% 11% 9% 21% -
Yes, for any other purpose 30 11 19 8 14 8 10 9 11 18 12 30 -(specify) 7% 6% 9% 7% 10% 5% 6% 15% 6% 8% 7% 15% -
No 241 97 144 70 81 90 95 36 110 139 95 34 20760% 54% 65% 64% 55% 61% 56% 59% 64% 61% 57% 17% 100%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 8 Page 8
10 Apr 2012Q6 In the last 12 months, did anyone in your household fill or top up the following at home?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Yes, a paddling pool 26 13 13 10 12 4 17 3 6 13 12 16 106% 7% 6% 9% 8% 3% 10% 5% 4% 6% 7% 8% 5%
Yes, a swimming pool 4 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 3 11% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% *
Yes, a fountain 3 2 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 3 - 3 -1% 1% * 1% 1% 1% 1% - 1% 1% - 2% -
No 372 164 208 99 131 142 151 57 164 212 154 176 19693% 91% 94% 91% 90% 97% 89% 93% 96% 93% 92% 90% 95%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 9 Page 9
10 Apr 2012Q7a When there is / if there was a ban this summer would you keep to the rules ...?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
All of the time 354 158 196 97 132 125 151 56 147 196 151 167 18788% 88% 88% 89% 90% 85% 89% 92% 86% 86% 90% 86% 90%
Most of the time 32 13 19 7 11 14 13 2 17 21 11 19 138% 7% 9% 6% 8% 10% 8% 3% 10% 9% 7% 10% 6%
Some of the time 3 1 2 1 1 1 - 2 1 2 1 1 21% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% - 3% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
Not at all 11 7 4 3 1 7 5 - 6 7 4 7 43% 4% 2% 3% 1% 5% 3% - 4% 3% 2% 4% 2%
Don’t know 2 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 1 1* 1% * 1% 1% - 1% 2% - * 1% 1% *
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 10 Page 10
10 Apr 2012Q7b When there is / if there was a ban this summer would your household be affected ...?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
A great deal 19 12 7 6 6 7 10 - 9 9 10 14 55% 7% 3% 6% 4% 5% 6% - 5% 4% 6% 7% 2%
A fair amount 65 22 43 19 19 27 22 12 31 42 23 45 2016% 12% 19% 17% 13% 18% 13% 20% 18% 19% 14% 23% 10%
Not very much 196 88 108 45 75 76 84 36 76 108 84 104 9249% 49% 49% 41% 51% 52% 49% 59% 44% 48% 50% 53% 44%
Not at all 115 54 61 38 45 32 52 13 50 65 47 31 8429% 30% 27% 35% 31% 22% 31% 21% 29% 29% 28% 16% 41%
Don’t know 7 4 3 1 1 5 2 - 5 3 4 1 62% 2% 1% 1% 1% 3% 1% - 3% 1% 2% 1% 3%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 11 Page 11
10 Apr 2012Q8 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Take more water from rivers 56 29 27 15 17 24 22 9 25 31 24 30 26and aquifers before 14% 16% 12% 14% 12% 16% 13% 15% 15% 14% 14% 15% 13%
introducing bans
Introduce bans before 302 137 165 89 119 94 141 49 112 168 129 146 156taking more water from 75% 76% 74% 82% 82% 64% 83% 80% 65% 74% 77% 75% 75%
rivers and aquifers
Don’t know 44 14 30 5 10 29 7 3 34 28 15 19 2511% 8% 14% 5% 7% 20% 4% 5% 20% 12% 9% 10% 12%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 12 Page 12
10 Apr 2012Q9 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought?
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Introduce bans on businesses 75 40 35 20 31 24 36 8 31 41 31 33 42at the same time as bans on 19% 22% 16% 18% 21% 16% 21% 13% 18% 18% 18% 17% 20%
households
Introduce bans on businesses 286 130 156 83 103 100 127 48 111 162 121 148 138after bans on households 71% 72% 70% 76% 71% 68% 75% 79% 65% 71% 72% 76% 67%
Don’t know 41 10 31 6 12 23 7 5 29 24 16 14 2710% 6% 14% 6% 8% 16% 4% 8% 17% 11% 10% 7% 13%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 13 Page 13
10 Apr 2012Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households?***Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens***
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Same time 234 114 120 63 89 82 99 39 96 126 102 123 11158% 63% 54% 58% 61% 56% 58% 64% 56% 56% 61% 63% 54%
After 126 49 77 38 44 44 59 18 49 71 55 55 7131% 27% 35% 35% 30% 30% 35% 30% 29% 31% 33% 28% 34%
Don’t know 42 17 25 8 13 21 12 4 26 30 11 17 2510% 9% 11% 7% 9% 14% 7% 7% 15% 13% 7% 9% 12%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 14 Page 14
10 Apr 2012Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households?***Using a hosepipe to water allotments***
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Same time 222 106 116 56 88 78 98 36 88 120 95 107 11555% 59% 52% 51% 60% 53% 58% 59% 51% 53% 57% 55% 56%
After 136 58 78 43 48 45 61 21 54 78 58 70 6634% 32% 35% 39% 33% 31% 36% 34% 32% 34% 35% 36% 32%
Don’t know 44 16 28 10 10 24 11 4 29 29 15 18 2611% 9% 13% 9% 7% 16% 6% 7% 17% 13% 9% 9% 13%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 15 Page 15
10 Apr 2012Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households?***Using a hosepipe to water national and international sports grounds***
Base: All
Used hosepipe
in the last 12
Gender Age Working Water meter months
Full- Part- Not
Total Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ time time working Yes No Yes No
Total 402 180 222 109 146 147 170 61 171 227 168 195 207
Same time 216 99 117 52 91 73 96 34 86 120 92 107 10954% 55% 53% 48% 62% 50% 56% 56% 50% 53% 55% 55% 53%
After 127 59 68 45 41 41 59 24 44 68 57 63 6432% 33% 31% 41% 28% 28% 35% 39% 26% 30% 34% 32% 31%
Don’t know 59 22 37 12 14 33 15 3 41 39 19 25 3415% 12% 17% 11% 10% 22% 9% 5% 24% 17% 11% 13% 16%
Drought Survey - Domestic Customers
Fieldwork dates: 29 March - 5 April 2012
Table 16 Page 16
10 Apr 2012Q10 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? - Summary
Base: All
Summary table
Total Same time After Don’t know
Using a hosepipe to water 402 234 126 42parks and public gardens 58% 31% 10%
Using a hosepipe to water 402 222 136 44allotments 55% 34% 11%
Using a hosepipe to water 402 216 127 59national and international 54% 32% 15%
sports grounds
Southern Water Revised Drought Plan – Statement of Response Appendices
125
Annex H Results from survey with non-domestic
customers ____________________________________________________________________________
Page 1
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
PAGE TABLE TITLE TOTAL
1 1 Q1 In which of the following sectors does your business/ organization operate? Base: All
98
2 2 Q2 And how many staff does your business/ organization employ? Base: All
98
3 3 Q3 Does your business/ organization have a water meter? Base: All
98
4 4 Q4a Who in your business/ organization sees and/or pays the bill from Southern Water? Base: All
98
5 5 Q4b How often does your business/ organization pay Southern Water? Base: All who pay the water bill themselves
56
6 6 Q4c How much did your business/ organization pay Southern Water last month/ in the previous 6 months/ last year in pounds to the nearest whole number? Base: All
98
7 7 Q5a When there is/ if there was a ban this summer, would your business/ organization keep to the rules ...? Base: All
98
8 8 Q5b When there is/ if there was a ban this summer, would your business/ organization be affected ...? Base: All
98
9 9 Q6 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought? Base: All
98
10 10 Q7 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought? Base: All
98
11 11 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens*** Base: All
98
12 12 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Watering plants at nurseries and garden centres*** Base: All
98
13 13 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Cleaning windows carried out by window cleaners*** Base: All
98
14 14 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? 98
***Washing cars carried out by car washes including mechanical and hand car washes*** Base: All
Page 2
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
PAGE TABLE TITLE TOTAL
15 15 Base: All 0 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? - Summary
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 1 Page 1
9 Apr 2012 Q1 In which of the following sectors does your business/ organization operate?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
26 27%
38 39%
24 24%
10 10%
26 38 24 10
26 - - - 100% - - -
- 38 - - - 100% - -
- - 24 - - - 100% -
- - - 10 - - - 100%
81 17
23 3 28% 18%
35 3 43% 18%
21 3 26% 18%
2 8 2% 47%
58 31
15 7 26% 23%
15 21 26% 68%
22 2 38% 6%
6 1 10% 3%
Total
Car washing
Window cleaning
Garden centre/ nursery
Public park administrator
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 2 Page 2
9 Apr 2012 Q2 And how many staff does your business/ organization employ?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
39 40%
42 43%
7 7%
2 2%
- -
4 4%
4 4%
26 38 24 10
11 21 7 - 42% 55% 29% -
12 14 14 2 46% 37% 58% 20%
2 2 2 1 8% 5% 8% 10%
1 - 1 - 4% - 4% -
- - - - - - - -
- 1 - 3 - 3% - 30%
- - - 4 - - - 40%
81 17
39 - 48% -
42 - 52% -
- 7 - 41%
- 2 - 12%
- - - -
- 4 - 24%
- 4 - 24%
58 31
18 20 31% 65%
27 10 47% 32%
6 - 10% -
2 - 3% -
- - - -
3 - 5% -
2 1 3% 3%
Total
0 (sole trader)
1 - 10
11 - 50
51 - 100
101 - 250
251 - 500
500 +
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 3 Page 3
9 Apr 2012 Q3 Does your business/ organization have a water meter?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
58 59%
31 32%
9 9%
26 38 24 10
15 15 22 6 58% 39% 92% 60%
7 21 2 1 27% 55% 8% 10%
4 2 - 3 15% 5% - 30%
81 17
45 13 56% 76%
30 1 37% 6%
6 3 7% 18%
58 31
58 - 100% -
- 31 - 100%
- - - -
Total
Yes, I/ we have a water meter
No, I/ we don’t have a water meter
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 4 Page 4
9 Apr 2012 Q4a Who in your business/ organization sees and/or pays the bill from Southern Water?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
56 57%
29 30%
1 1%
1 1%
9 9%
2 2%
26 38 24 10
9 25 18 4 35% 66% 75% 40%
11 7 5 6 42% 18% 21% 60%
- 1 - - - 3% - -
- 1 - - - 3% - -
5 3 1 -
19% 8% 4% -
1 1 - - 4% 3% - -
81 17
47 9 58% 53%
22 7 27% 41%
1 - 1% -
1 - 1% -
8 1
10% 6%
2 - 2% -
58 31
39 17 67% 55%
15 7 26% 23%
- 1 - 3%
- 1 - 3%
3 4 5% 13%
1 1 2% 3%
Total
I see and/or pay the bill
Someone else sees and pays the bill
We don’t get a bill from Southern Water because our water comes from a private borehole
We don’t get a bill from Southern Water because we use water from home
Other
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 5 Page 5
9 Apr 2012 Q4b How often does your business/ organization pay Southern Water?
Base: All who pay the water bill themselves
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
56
21 38%
11 20%
3 5%
7
13%
14 25%
9 25 18 4
4 12 5 - 44% 48% 28% -
3 3 3 2 33% 12% 17% 50%
- 3 - - - 12% - -
- 1 4 2 - 4% 22% 50%
2 6 6 - 22% 24% 33% -
47 9
21 - 45% -
7 4 15% 44%
3 - 6% -
3 4 6% 44%
13 1 28% 11%
39 17
12 9 31% 53%
11 - 28% -
1 2 3% 12%
6 1 15% 6%
9 5 23% 29%
Total
Monthly
6 monthly
Yearly
Other (specify)
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 6 Page 6
9 Apr 2012 Q4c How much did your business/ organization pay Southern Water last month/ in the previous 6 months/ last year in pounds to the nearest whole number?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
9 9%
4 4%
2 2%
3 3%
4 4%
3 3%
73 74%
26 38 24 10
3 4 1 1 12% 11% 4% 10%
- 2 2 - - 5% 8% -
- 1 1 - - 3% 4% -
1 2 - - 4% 5% - -
- - 4 - - - 17% -
1 1 - 1 4% 3% - 10%
21 28 16 8 81% 74% 67% 80%
81 17
8 1 10% 6%
4 - 5% -
1 1 1% 6%
3 - 4% -
4 - 5% -
1 2 1% 12%
60 13 74% 76%
58 31
3 6 5% 19%
2 2 3% 6%
2 - 3% -
3 - 5% -
4 - 7% -
3 - 5% -
41 23 71% 74%
Total
£0 - £50
£51 - £100
£101 - £200
£201 - £500
£501 - £1000
£1001+
Don’ t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 7 Page 7
9 Apr 2012 Q5a When there is/ if there was a ban this summer, would your business/ organization keep to the rules ...?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
60 61%
15 15%
2 2%
12 12%
9 9%
26 38 24 10
15 27 11 7 58% 71% 46% 70%
5 3 6 1 19% 8% 25% 10%
1 1 - - 4% 3% - -
3 3 6 - 12% 8% 25% -
2 4 1 2 8% 11% 4% 20%
81 17
47 13 58% 76%
13 2 16% 12%
2 - 2% -
12 - 15% -
7 2 9% 12%
58 31
32 22 55% 71%
11 2 19% 6%
2 - 3% -
9 3 16% 10%
4 4 7% 13%
Total
All of the time
Most of the time
Some of the time
Not at all
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 8 Page 8
9 Apr 2012 Q5b When there is/ if there was a ban this summer, would your business/ organization be affected ...?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
56 57%
14 14%
11 11%
14 14%
3 3%
26 38 24 10
18 18 18 2 69% 47% 75% 20%
4 2 5 3 15% 5% 21% 30%
- 6 1 4 - 16% 4% 40%
3 10 - 1 12% 26% - 10%
1 2 - - 4% 5% - -
81 17
50 6 62% 35%
8 6 10% 35%
7 4 9% 24%
13 1 16% 6%
3 - 4% -
58 31
37 18 64% 58%
8 2 14% 6%
7 2 12% 6%
6 8 10% 26%
- 1 - 3%
Total
A great deal
A fair amount
Not very much
Not at all
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 9 Page 9
9 Apr 2012 Q6 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
37 38%
51 52%
10 10%
26 38 24 10
10 14 12 1 38% 37% 50% 10%
12 20 11 8 46% 53% 46% 80%
4 4 1 1
15% 11% 4% 10%
81 17
34 3 42% 18%
38 13 47% 76%
9 1
11% 6%
58 31
24 11 41% 35%
29 18 50% 58%
5 2 9% 6%
Total
Take more water from rivers and aquifers before introducing bans
Introduce bans before taking more water from rivers and aquifers
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 10 Page 10
9 Apr 2012 Q7 Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on what Southern Water should do during a drought?
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
6 6%
88 90%
4 4%
26 38 24 10
2 2 1 1 8% 5% 4% 10%
21 36 23 8 81% 95% 96% 80%
3 - - 1
12% - - 10%
81 17
4 2 5% 12%
74 14 91% 82%
3 1 4% 6%
58 31
3 2 5% 6%
54 27 93% 87%
1 2 2% 6%
Total
Introduce bans on businesses at the same time as bans on households
Introduce bans on businesses after bans on households
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 11 Page 11
9 Apr 2012 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens***
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
47 48%
42 43%
9 9%
26 38 24 10
10 26 7 4 38% 68% 29% 40%
13 9 16 4 50% 24% 67% 40%
3 3 1 2
12% 8% 4% 20%
81 17
39 8 48% 47%
35 7 43% 41%
7 2 9% 12%
58 31
28 16 48% 52%
25 11 43% 35%
5 4 9% 13%
Total
Same time
After
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 12 Page 12
9 Apr 2012 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Watering plants at nurseries and garden centres***
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
14 14%
76 78%
8 8%
26 38 24 10
5 5 1 3 19% 13% 4% 30%
17 30 22 7 65% 79% 92% 70%
4 3 1 -
15% 8% 4% -
81 17
11 3 14% 18%
63 13 78% 76%
7 1 9% 6%
58 31
10 2 17% 6%
44 25 76% 81%
4 4 7% 13%
Total
Same time
After
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 13 Page 13
9 Apr 2012 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Cleaning windows carried out by window cleaners***
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
25 26%
64 65%
9 9%
26 38 24 10
7 2 10 6 27% 5% 42% 60%
18 31 11 4 69% 82% 46% 40%
1 5 3 - 4% 13% 13% -
81 17
17 8 21% 47%
56 8 69% 47%
8 1
10% 6%
58 31
21 2 36% 6%
31 26 53% 84%
6 3
10% 10%
Total
Same time
After
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 14 Page 14
9 Apr 2012 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? ***Washing cars carried out by car washes including mechanical and hand car washes***
Base: All
Sector Size Water meter
Total
Window cleaners
Car
washers
Garden centres/ nurseries
Public parks
1-10
10+
Yes
No
98
26 27%
62 63%
10 10%
26 38 24 10
2 7 12 5 8% 18% 50% 50%
22 28 8 4 85% 74% 33% 40%
2 3 4 1 8% 8% 17% 10%
81 17
20 6 25% 35%
53 9 65% 53%
8 2
10% 12%
58 31
18 5 31% 16%
33 23 57% 74%
7 3
12% 10%
Total
Same time
After
Don’t know
Drought Survey - Commercial
Fieldwork dates: 26 March - 3 April 2012
Table 15 Page 15
9 Apr 2012 Q8 Should the following activities be banned at the same time or after bans on households? - Summary
Summary table Total Same time After Don’t know
98 47 42 9
48% 43% 9%
98 14 76 8 14% 78% 8%
98 25 64 9
26% 65% 9%
98 26 62 10 27% 63% 10%
Base: All
Using a hosepipe to water parks and public gardens
Watering plants at nurseries and garden centres
Cleaning windows carried out by window cleaners
Washing cars carried out by car washes including mechanical and hand car washes
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E. Water Restrictions and Exceptions effective from April 5th 2012
The following Question and Answers provide an overview of the restrictions and concessions that Southern Water has in place in May 2012. They are included to provide an indication of the concessions that Southern Water may also consider in a drought in future; however, the company will review what restrictions and concessions it is able to provide on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific conditions experienced in future drought events.
Please note that these questions and answers are to help with the way in which Southern Water is applying restrictions on use in its supply areas.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
1 What activities are restricted (prohibitions) from April 5? o • Watering a garden using a hosepipe; o • Cleaning a private motor vehicle using a hosepipe; o • Watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe; o • Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe; o • Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool; o • Drawing water using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use; o • Filling or maintaining a domestic pond using a hosepipe; o • Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain; o • Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe; o • Cleaning paths or patios using a hosepipe; o • Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces using a hosepipe.
In these prohibitions: “garden” includes a park, gardens open to the public, a lawn, a grass verge, grass used for sport or recreation, an allotment used for non-commercial purposes and any other green space; “hosepipe” includes anything designed, adapted or used to serve the same purpose as a hosepipe; “using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use” includes operating water slides and other recreational equipment.
o Exceptions The following are excepted from the prohibitions: • Watering a grass surface used for regional, national or international sport events;
o • Cleaning a private motor vehicle by a business specialising in hand car washing which uses hosepipes as part of the process;
o • Using a water-fed pole to clean the windows of domestic premises in the course of a business;
o • Cleaning the walls of domestic premises in the course of a business; o • Cleaning paths, patios and hard-standings by a business whose sole operation is the
cleaning of paths, patios and other hard-standings. Further exceptions are specified in The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (SI 2010 No. 2231) and that Order also defines certain terms. The Order may be found at www.southernwater.co.uk/wateruseorder, and the Company will consider instances of significant hardship for concessionary exception, which may be subject to conditions – please call us on 0845 278 0845 if you think this applies to you.
o View our Public Notice (on the Southern Water website) setting out the restrictions we are introducing under the Temporary Ban. We will consider applications for concessionary exceptions from customers who are significantly adversely impacted by the restrictions because of infirmity or disability and for customers who use a drip or trickle irrigation watering system, fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer, that are not handheld, that place water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface, without any surface run off or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist.
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Please call us on 0845 278 0845 for further advice if you feel either of these apply to you.
2 The last time you had restrictions I could still fill up a paddling pool. Why can’t I now?
o The Temporary Uses of Water Ban has replaced the previous hosepipe ban legislation, which dated back to 1945. The new legislation now has a much wider scope of restrictions that can be controlled by water companies. In all, 11 categories of use are specified within section 76(2) of the WIA 1991 (as amended by section 36 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (FWMA 2010). These target non-essential use to help ensure that domestic supplies for drinking, cooking, washing and sanitation can be maintained.
3 Can I use my hosepipe or sprinkler? o A Temporary Use Ban is authorised by new legislation. It prohibits the use of water for
specified purposes, most of which involve using a hosepipe. This has a much wider scope of restrictions than the former ‘hosepipe’ ban, which can be imposed by water companies. Sprinklers are captured by the ban.
4 Can I still water my lawn and plants with a watering can? o Yes, as long as the can has not been filled using a hosepipe.
5 Can I use a hosepipe to wash down my dog when muddy?
o Yes you can providing the purpose is to wash your dog as this is not a restricted activity. However, we urge all customers to use water wisely and only where it is absolutely necessary .
6 Can I use a hosepipe to fill a trough to provide water for my livestock?
o Yes, as this is not a restricted activity.
7 Can I use a hosepipe to fill the onboard tank in my caravan or motor home?
o Yes, if the water is for domestic use (i.e. washing, cooking and toilet facilities) but not if all or any part of the water is used to wash the caravan or motor home, or to water a garden.
IN THE GARDEN
1. I am a Blue Badge holder, am I affected by the restrictions?
o Yes, but if you have severe mobility problems and are the holder of a current Blue Badge as issued by your local authority, then we will allow an exception to the following prohibitions: watering a garden attached to domestic premises, including an allotment, or watering plants on domestic premises using a hosepipe. We urge all customers to use water wisely and only where it’s absolutely essential. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions or withdrawal if the drought becomes more severe.
2. I am disabled or infirm and I do not hold a Blue Badge. Am I affected by the restrictions?
o Yes. However, we will consider applications for exceptions from customers who are significantly adversely affected by the restrictions due to infirmity or disability, for the following prohibitions: watering a garden attached to domestic premises , including an allotment or watering plants on domestic premises using a hosepipe. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions and will be withdrawn if the drought becomes more severe. Please call us on 0845 278 0845 if you feel this applies to you.
3. Can I use a hosepipe to fill a watering can or water butt to water my garden?
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o No. You are not able to use a hosepipe to fill a watering can or water butt with mains water for this purpose. We do, however, encourage all of our customers to make use of water butts to collect rainwater, which can then be used to water the garden with a watering can or a pump direct from the water butt.
4. Does the restriction apply to rainwater that I have stored either in water butts or other storage containers?
o No, it only applies to mains water. There are pumps on the market which enable you to pump collected rainwater from your water butt or other storage container.
5. Does the restriction apply to irrigation systems?
o Irrigation systems do fall within the restrictions. However, we appreciate that some irrigation systems can be water efficient: we will permit the use of; a drip or trickle irrigation watering system, fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer, that is not handheld, that places water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface, without any surface run off or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions or withdrawal if the drought becomes more severe.
o 6. Can I water my newly-laid turf?
o Yes you can, but not using a hosepipe. We will, however, consider applications for exceptions in cases of hardship to customers and the supply chain i.e. landscape gardeners. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions and will be withdrawn if the drought becomes more severe. Please call us on 0845 278 0845 if you feel this applies to you.
o 7. Can I water my hanging basket?
o Yes, you can, but not using a hosepipe.
8. I have a pond with fish in it. Will I be able to top up my pond using the hosepipe?
o Yes. You should keep your pond topped up to a minimum level to safeguard the fish but please remember that tap water needs conditioning before it is used to top up a pond.
o 9. I have a water fountain in the garden; can I continue to use it?
o Most water fountains operate by recycling a small amount of water. If this is the case for yours, you may continue to operate it. You cannot, however, replenish the fountain with water drawn from the mains supply unless it is in or near to a fish pond and its purpose is to supply sufficient oxygen to the water in the pond to keep fish healthy.
o 10. Can I fill my swimming or paddling pool?
o Not unless you do so with a hand-held container if using water mains water. This restriction does not apply if you are filling a pool for the following purposes:
o • Where necessary in the course of its construction; • Where designed, constructed or adapted for use in the course of a programme of medical treatment; • Used for the purpose of decontaminating animals from infections or disease; • Used in the course of a programme of veterinary treatment; • Used for the purposes of a business; • A pool in which fish or other aquatic animals are being reared or kept in captivity. Please see the section below on Commercial Customers in relation to swimming pool repair and/or maintenance subject to a contract.
o 11. Can I wash the following using a hosepipe: Car, motorbike, taxi,
company car, caravan, trailer?
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o As a result of the restrictions, you are not permitted to wash any of the above with a hosepipe or similar apparatus. You can, however, use a bucket, as long as you do not fill it with a hosepipe.
o If your vehicle or its trailer is a” goods vehicle” (i.e. constructed or adapted for use for the carriage of goods) then it is not affected by the restrictions, but we ask that all our customers use water sparingly.
12. Are there any exceptions for Health and Safety?
o Yes, but only where the use itself is for a health or safety reason and only in respect of the activities listed below: • watering a garden; • cleaning a private leisure boat; • cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises; • cleaning paths or patios; • cleaning other outdoor surfaces Health or Safety includes removing or minimizing any risk to human or animal health or safety; and preventing or controlling the spread of causative agents of disease.
COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS
1. I build, repair and/or refurbish swimming pools; can the swimming pool be filled on completion?
o Providing the filling of the pool is during the course of; its construction, a significant repair or a refurbishment then this does not fall within the restrictions. The pool is, however, to be filled or refilled by the specialist business undertaking the work which is subject to contract.
2. I specialise in swimming pool maintenance, can I use a hosepipe to top up the pool?
o No. However, we will consider on a case by case basis applications for exceptions from business customers in cases of hardship when specialising in swimming pool maintenance. The work must be subject to a maintenance contract. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions and will be withdrawn if the drought becomes more severe. Please call us on 0845 278 0845 if you feel this applies to you
3. We are a school. Can we top up our pool using a hosepipe?
o Yes, the restrictions in place currently only apply to domestic swimming pools.
4. Why are councils still cleaning windows, buildings and washing public vehicles etc?
o Not all activities are covered by the temporary ban, e.g. cleaning the windows of non-domestic buildings or washing public service vehicles. However, ALL water users are urged to conserve water whenever they can and we have given water-saving advice to councils and other commercial customers. Should the situation deteriorate, consideration would be given to applying for powers to restrict other activities.
5. Are commercial customers and car-washing companies affected by the restrictions?
o They are, in certain circumstances if the activity they undertake is restricted. The 11 categories of restrictions apply to both domestic and commercial customers. However, in some cases, each group will be affected differently. For example, domestic pools in back gardens cannot be topped up with a hose but pools open to the public are not affected by the Temporary Use Ban. However, maintaining an ornamental fountain using a hosepipe is restricted regardless of who owns it, or where it is.
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We have included an exception for using a hosepipe to clean a private motor vehicle, walls and windows of domestic premises, or paths and patios and other outdoor surfaces where this is done as a service to customers in the course of a business specialising in these activities. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions and will be withdrawn if the drought becomes more severe.
6. We are a business using water on our premises – are we affected by the restrictions?
o Yes. Certain prohibitions will affect commercial customers. Please see the full list of restrictions on the Southern Water website.
7. Our business uses water while working on behalf of customers in respect of gardens – are we affected by the restrictions?
o Yes. Any use of a hosepipe for garden watering is banned. A gardener working on a garden cannot use a hosepipe if the water supplied by mains water. There are the following exceptions: • Cleaning a private motor vehicle by a business specialising in hand car washing which uses hosepipes as part of the process;
o • Using a water-fed pole to clean the windows of domestic premises in the course of a business;
o • Cleaning the walls of domestic premises in the course of a business. o • Cleaning paths, patios and hard-standings by a business whose sole operation is the
cleaning of paths, patios and other hard-standings. We will in addition consider applications for exceptions in cases of hardship to customer and supply chain i.e. landscape gardeners. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions and will be withdrawn if the drought becomes more severe. Please call us on 0845 278 0845 if you feel this applies to you
8. We are a car wash – are we affected?
o Yes, if you use a hosepipe or similar apparatus to clean a private motor vehicle, unless you are a business specialising solely in hand car-washing using a hosepipe as part of your process. While the use of mechanical vehicle washers is not currently restricted under the ban we would ask that you review how water efficient your apparatus is.
9. I am a taxi or minicab driver or I own a company car or a car sales garage – am I affected?
o Yes. Taxis, licensed minicabs, company cars and garage forecourt cars for sale are covered by the restrictions on using a hosepipe. You can continue to use a bucket to wash your vehicle(s).
10. We are a bowling green, tennis club, sports ground or golf course – are we affected?
o Yes, unless hosting a regional, national or international event. However, we do not want critical playing surfaces to become damaged, so the watering of a key playing area is permitted, for instance cricket squares, golf greens, bowling greens, tennis courts. However, please contact us on 0845 278 0845 if you have a specific requirement to maintain a key area, in order to discuss the arrangements for watering. Sprinklers are not permitted for watering unless proven to be more water efficient than watering with a handheld container or hose and with our prior consent. Please note that exceptions may be subject to conditions and will be withdrawn if the drought becomes more severe.
11. We are a garden centre – are we affected?
o Garden centres are not covered by the restrictions for the watering of plants for commercial sale. We would, however, encourage the use of a watering can as an alternative where possible. Please note, filling ornamental displays with water supplied by us is prohibited unless this is necessary to supply sufficient oxygen to the water in a pond to keep fish healthy.
12. We are a window cleaning business – how are we affected?
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o You may not use a hosepipe to clean the windows of domestic premises, unless you are using a water-fed pole in the course of a business.. Hosepipes can still be used for cleaning windows of commercial premises but please make every effort to conserve water.
13. I run a commercial business where I grow produce for commercial purposes (e.g. market garden). Can I use a hosepipe?
o Yes, the ban does not restrict this. However, we would ask you to consider using water efficient systems.
14. I run a commercial business; can I use a hosepipe to wash my company’s goods vehicles, lorries, trailers, coaches, buses, minibuses, boat or plane?
o The restrictions do not affect the washing of goods vehicles (including their trailers) or public service vehicles. However, buses and minibuses that are used for employees and do not operate as public service vehicles, are covered by the ban.
o Planes are not covered by the restrictions but private leisure boats, including jet skis and any other vessel which is designed, constructed or adopted to move through, in or over water are, unless they are used in the course of a business or made available to the public. We would ask all our customers to use water sparingly.
FARMERS AND AGRICULTURE
1. I am a farmer. How will I be affected by the temporary use ban?
o Your agricultural activities will not be affected by the restrictions but you must observe all of the prohibited uses. We would encourage you to use water efficient systems.
2. Can I fill my trough with a hosepipe?
o Yes, as long as the water is not being used for any of the purposes which are restricted
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