Pootling through a lovely Hampshire village and had to dodge the sprinkler system being used on a 'lawn'. Said 'lawn' being more of a cricket pitch size as opposed to postage stamp size.

So … should this be permitted bearing in mind our rainfall has been very low in the South?

Actually I'm going to have a rantette – I have a water meter and pay £21 per month as sole occupier. If they don't have a water meter, why the heck should I be subsidising their need to have a pristine 'lawn'?

And, whilst I'm at it, they probably have a bloomin' swimming pool too. 🙄

Water meters should be compulsory then it's fair to everyone. Right?

Wot do you guys think?

(Count to 10, slowly)

😯

is there a hosepipe ban?

ive been thinking i need a sprinkler to water my affluent southern lawn as its a big dog eared and we just put seed down.

£4 is a bit steep though for a bit of plastic, i think everyone should have to buy a sprinkler so its fair on me.

If you need some water, I'm sure I could send some to you once I've finished with it.

Only one (careful) owner.

OP I thnik you need to find a way to relax.

No it's perfectly ok because water runs down hill from Scotland where it's been the wettest 'summer' in ages according to my mate in Edinburgh an eventually it gets to us down here in the Affluent South. Hopefully it will be filtered after passing through the Effluent North.

Cinnamon Gril think yourself lucky. I pay £24 a month fixed bill, in a 1 bed flat with no garden. I just leave the taps on all the time to ensure I'm getting value for money.

are you a northerner?

Water is obviously not scarce or there would be a hosepipe ban. So no, it's not unreasonable of them. You choose to have a house with a meter installed (or bought a house with one fitted) so tough luck I'm afraid, plus you don't subsidise them unless they're a family of 4+, as metered people with 3 or fewer people in the house pay more than their fair share in rates (according to our local water authority).

im on a water meter but i earn a bucketload of cash and feel i deserve a luscious green lawn on which to sip my pimms, wot wot.

cinnamon_girl – Member
Pootling through a lovely Hampshire village and had to dodge the sprinkler system being used on a 'lawn'. Said 'lawn' being more of a cricket pitch size as opposed to postage stamp size.

What the devil do you think you were doing cycling across my lawn? Next time I will have my game keeper give you both barrels. Now be off with you peasant.

It is out of order, yes. Even when there's rain, still costs energy to to pump that out of the ground, purify it to a high standard and pump it to you just so you can spray it on your grass so it looks green.

Pathetic.

sounds like a full blown case of lawn envy if I'd ever heard one!

Are southerners only aloud so many gallons per household then, we in Wales send ours to Liverpool, seeing as they are the great unwashed and little need of it as they only drink KWD and use kentucky wipes to wash with, I am sure we could send some down south with a few chemical additives so soften it for ya!

has the peoples water bills gone down in accrordance by any chance? thought not …. so use away i say ;O)

When living in a flat in London my water was £25 per month… Expensive business, but seemingly proportionally more expensive for the less well off.

Thanks for your replies – some of you are a bit touchy aren't you?

Look, the bottom line is that it's unfair for some folk to be penalised and I'm pretty careful with my water use. Why should families with paddling pools that are topped up every day, complete with six children, be paying the same as me?

I don't give a monkey's about the state of my lawn, would look much better with some boardwalk anyway. 🙄

No, we don't have a hosepipe ban yet. But I just want a fair system, is that so wrong?

druidh – Member
If you need some water, I'm sure I could send some to you once I've finished with it.
Only one (careful) owner.

As opposed to Thames water, only 8 careful owners before it gets to you…

I thought it was 'filtered' 14 times actually…

Shock Horror! London water actually the best in England and Wales!

Blimey, eh?

Do you know much carbon dioxide a healthy green lawn liberates annually ?

Shouldn't that be captures?

Mowing and watering lawns is such a waste of time, water and energy. Mow a few paths and spots were you actually want to use the lawn and leave the rest alone.

You get free grass seeding of the lawn plus rich lush grass at the end of summer for no more than one or two quick mowing sessions plus a strim over in August. Next year repeat but move the paths and mown areas.

Much less time spent especially if there is a hose pipe ban in which case constant mowing just results in a dead lawn.

Do you realise that your mandate for meters for all will add another £2 a month to your bill too?

Waste of time. Waste of resources. The sooner socitey gets used to being less self involved the better. Self included.

Your fault for choosing a new(ish) build…

Hmmm buying the 'wrong' property is probably not the fault. Interesting viewpoint though.

Mowing and watering lawns is such a waste of time, water and energy. Mow a few paths and spots were you actually want to use the lawn and leave the rest alone.

You get free grass seeding of the lawn plus rich lush grass at the end of summer for no more than one or two quick mowing sessions plus a strim over in August. Next year repeat but move the paths and mown areas.

Are you mental? Leaving our lawn for more than 6 weeks and its feet deep in weeds, grass (duh) and spreading seeds to the flowerbeds and veg patches. I mean literally it's well over a foot deep in 6 weeks, which then makes it impossible to cut with a normal mower and makes my lawn look like I'm from a council estate and can't afford a mower or am too scruffy to keep my garden at least tidy.

I don't give a monkey's about the state of my lawn, would look much better with some boardwalk anyway.

Oh god, not another one of the decking type, looks so bloody horrible! So you don't like your lawn, they do. Get over it. Everyone has a choice. They can afford to do it, they choose to pay for it (I'm damn sure the water rates on their house is higher than you pay for yourself) and you have no idea they don't have a meter. Several members of my family have water meters and still choose to water their lawn, refill the pond etc. So uppity about your water bills? Install a rainwater/greywater recovery system and stop whining 🙂

makes my lawn look like I'm from a council estate and can't afford a mower

Very good reason to mow the lawn.

And to the OP, didn't really read properly but… southerners? Definitely out of order whatever it is they are doing, especially affluent ones. Round em all up…

Water is obviously not scarce or there would be a hosepipe ban.

Water is scarce. It's just artificially cheap.

So, was there a hosepipe ban?

Anyway, try living in the SW. Rains all the time, never a shortage and we still get charged a basic rate of £55 a month….

CG – I've worked with a few clients with large lawns and a lot of them have installed water storage systems so that they have their own supply of water for irrigation. Despite being stinking rich a lot of them still want to think they're doing their green bit.

Even if they're not using their own supply the water supply in the South is in pretty good shape, so as long as they're paying for it then that's OK – if they've got a pool then the chances are that they'll have been forced to have a meter installed when the pool was built.

BUT – personally I don't advise people to water their lawns. Yes cut grass will go brown and look a bit off, but it recovers remarkably well as soon as the rain starts falling and even if it doesn't it costs nowt to re-seed a few patches in the autumn/spring. And as Muddy@rse Tony says, there's nothing wrong with leaving some uncut grass – in properly large gardens it's an attractive and cost effective way of blending from the formality of a lawn to the surrounding countryside.

People in wanting to water their garden shocker!

If they pay for the water then why not. If there is not enough water then it is the water companies fault.

>I have a water meter and pay £21 per month as sole occupier.

WTF! My last (metered) bill was £43 and that was for six months (and I'm about 15 mins drive away from you </stalker> )

Too much garden watering ?

someone down the road has 4 kids, and I've got none. Yet I pay more.. MORE!!! tax than him, cos he works at sainsburys. HOW UNFAIR IS THAT! School places, and the NHS are limited resources ya know. If they don't use contraception why should I have to pay?

etc etc etc

it's unfair for some folk to be penalised and I'm pretty careful with my water use. Why should families with paddling pools that are topped up every day, complete with six children, be paying the same as me?

Do you have Unlimited Broadband?

You could argue that more water is lost through leakage when in pipes as a fault of the water companies than is used to keep the lawns of the affluent south green and pleasant…

As for our lawn, we do not have the water pressure to use a sprinkler, and we have two dogs that help water it, so our lawn has t wait until it rains to stop looking patchy and yellow.

Water is scarce. It's just artificially cheap.

No it's not. If it's artificially cheap, what's subsidising it? If nothing, it's not artificially cheap.

It's been pissing with rain all night darn 'ere. So more fule them for watering their lawn eh?! 🙂

someone down the road has 4 kids, and I've got none. Yet I pay more.. MORE!!! tax than him, cos he works at sainsburys. HOW UNFAIR IS THAT! School places, and the NHS are limited resources ya know. If they don't use contraception why should I have to pay?

etc etc etc

Exactly. Well put.

Whatever we pay in bills or tax will 'subsidise' someone else. I pay mt NI every week, yet still have to pay for prescriptions and the dentist, but if I was unemployed I wouldn't have to pay.
Life isn't fair. Get over it! 🙂