General Chat

No new reservoirs have been built in the UK since 1991.

Water Companies were privatised in the 1980's, and, by 2012, Thames Valley Water had sold off over 25 reservoirs to developers who immediately filled them in and built on them!! Goodness knows how many have been sold off since, for some reason, it's impossible to find this info!

Southern Water has done very little updating. After the rain in April/May this year, the system couldn't cope (apparently), so they dumped raw sewage in the sea, all along the South coast, in rivers, and the protected chalk streams of Hampshire.

They were fined £9 million, but that won't get the wildlife back., and £9 million, when your profits are £139 million is nothing!

However, that's nothing compared to their fines for sloshing raw sewage around the South East since 2007.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Water

I received a letter yesterday, informing me I would be fined £1,000. if caught using a hosepipe. I suppose that's one way they can get their money back!

I understand the hose pipe ban doesn't affect blue badge holders and people on the vulnerable list if they have mobility issues.

I hope you all get some decent rain soon you certainly need it.

We too have had little rain but the great lakes are still full enough that we're not on a ban. That said as we're metered most are not watering their lawns to save money, and I use a watering can already for the plants it's good exercise.

Well, a hosepipe ban - and what does winchester City Council - or their contactors decide would be a good thing to do?
Power wash the high street! :-| :-|

Common sense has disappeared.

I look forward with anticipation to Council workers/contactors coming around to cut the dead grass verges.

Ann, I have sometimes made a coffee in the microwave, Just put the coffee milk and water into a mug and it takes about 2 mins. So that only uses the right amount of water for a drink and no wastage and wonder if its cheaper than boiling a kettle?

Florence in the hebrides

If I’ve boiled a kettle for a hot drink then I’ve also got hot/ warm water for the washing up.

Thames Water have announced they will bring in a hosepipe ban……….eventually :-S :-S

Got to make up for all the water that was lost yesterday in Islington because of a leak :-0 :-0 :-| :-| :-|
I’m all for saving water but companies need to get their act together and sort out all the leaking pipes :-(

Maggie mentioned 2-minute showers.

How do you manage that, Maggie?!

I have no mobility difficulty, I have short hair which is quick to wash, and I don't spend time conditioning, shaving, meditating, or whatever else some people do in the shower.
Just one application of shampoo, quickly soap everywhere else, rinse all off in one go.

I've timed it, and it takes me 5 minutes, from stepping into the shower to turning the water off when I've finished rinsing..

I have not times myself but my hair id thick and usually needs two washes. I would say though My shower lasts 5 minutes, no more

Actually, it may be nearer 3 minutes, but definitley 2 minutes if I don't wash my hair!
I get in, soap my upper parts, by then, my hair is wet, so I wash it, just once, it doesn't get very dirty - no need to condition it, if I do it just flies everywhere.
Wash my lower parts (meanwhle my hair is being rinsed).
The towels are the other side of the shower curtain, I turn off the shower and reach over for the towels (lower half is being rinsed as the shower slowly stops).

I think I had practice where I used to live, where the shower was in the bath, and the taps were dual shower and bath. I had to wait for the water to heat up, make sure no-one else ran a tap - and climb in and out of the bath - it was also cramped..

Here, it's an instant, independent shower in a wet room, so I don't have to bother about splashes, or a slippery wet floor - or climbing in and out of a bath - there isn't one!

It didn't feel like 5 mins, and I was surprised to see that's how long it took, as I thought I was being really quick!

Reading this thread I was getting really worried as I thought I must be really slow and waste a lot of water. I seem to be ages in the shower room so I timed my shower earlier. I was ages but that was time spent wiping the shower out, drying myself, sorting out my wet hair and a bit of general titivating. With one lot of shampoo and no conditioner the actual showering took 4 minutes but the water was only running for half that. I stand under the shower to get my hair and body wet, turn the water off, shampoo and soap all over, then turn the water back on to rinse it all off.

If I turned the water off and on during a shower, I wouldn't save any time, electricity, or water.
When it's turned on again it starts off freezing cold, then goes very hot, and finally settles down to a comfortable temperature. Until it settles, I'd have to stand well back in a corner of the cubicle to avoid being frozen or scalded, which means I'd be wasting time, electricity, and water.
It's quicker and easier, and probably cheaper, if I just let the water run.


No lack of rain in this area! My lawn is lush and green, and I haven't been able to cut it for a couple of weeks, as the grass hasn't been dry enough.
No heat wave, little warmth at all. I've only worn summer clothes on a few days this year, and I've put the heating on again (low) in the last few days.
It's hard to believe we're all on the same small island.

(When I say "island", I'm including all the smaller ones round the edge, Florence! )

Argyll gran. Our problem is there doesn't seem to be a happy medium. I would not like your weather/temp as I like to see the sun and feel the warmth of summer. However I don't like it when it goes to 30+ and humid and the plants die.

Electricity power cuts!!

Britain's food industry has been asked to prepare plans to avoid empty shelves and NHS bosses have been told to ensure 'diesel tanks are full' as the UK braces for winter blackouts in January that will see days of planned power cuts closing railway lines and libraries amid plummeting temperatures.

A perfect storm of cold weather and gas shortages could lead to the implementation of organised blackouts that could impact on businesses and homes across the country, as well as forcing the closure of railways, libraries and other Government buildings

Cue panic buying! And better buy some candles

The so-called "news" always latches on to the worst possible scenario of what is only speculation - not definite facts and not necessarily going to happen.
"Fake news" springs to mind.

Another part of that same dramatic article (Mail Online) says:

"As the Government prepares for winter, people familiar with its plans [WHO ??] have SUGGESTED the 'reasonable WORST-CASE SCENARIO' indicates electricity capacity COULD fall short by a sixth of peak demand.

This COULD spark emergency blackouts, according to Bloomberg, which claims to have spoken to a source familiar with the Government's thinking [WHO?], although they added this scenario is NOT EXPECTED TO HAPPEN."

"A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the reports of potential blackouts is 'wilfully misleading and not something we expect to happen. . . . "

And the Express gives more of that DBEIS quote -

"We are not dependent on Russian energy imports, unlike Europe, with access to our own North Sea gas reserves, steady imports from reliable partners, the second largest LNG port infrastructure in Europe, and a gas supply underpinned by robust legal contracts, meaning households, businesses and industry can be confident they will get the electricity and gas they need."

(The capital letters are mine.)


But who knows - I'm in an all-electric house. Perhaps I should stop trying to sell the Calor gas heater I bought several years ago after a 3-day power cut here because of bad weather! I've never needed it since then, and it's just taking up space.

The trouble is (and I agree with you about COULD) Like Covid that we didn't take seriously at first and then it got away from us. Best to be prepared IN CASE it does happen with alternatives for lighting. but I don't mean panic buy. i too am all electric bar the gas central heating which requires elecricity to come on.

I can’t remember the exact word but yesterday came across a phrase along the lines of ‘the best worst case scenario’. :-S :-S

So what would be the worst worst case scenario :-S :-S

Well, as I'm having (another) sort out, all those decorative candles I was conteplating donating to charity, will now become decorations, and my camping torches will be stored within easy reach.

The amount of money the Government is 'handing out' so people can pay their utility bills (while the energy companies are making vast profits), would have paid for the re-nationalisation of our utility companies. :-S

Edit: I'm also going to ensure that I have batteries for my radios, and will keep the cut-out cardboard models I bought for the grandchildren to do, handy, as if they're not done by then, will keep me entertained in candle light :-D :-D

Maybe coincident but I mentioned to our local Lib Dem that maybe cut hedges and sweep pavements to help us wheelchair users etc stay on pavements and stop building houses but build more reservoirs first one is done, second one was mentioned in the news.