Many people are confused about whether the hose pipe ban means they can not use their swimming pool or buy a new pool.

At present there is no need to worry because the hose pipe ban does not stop you topping up or filling a swimming pool. It only applies to watering your garden or washing your car. Only a Drought Order can stop you topping up or filling a pool. Only one water company imposed a Drought Order (Sutton and East Surrey) and that has now been lifted. In February 2007 the last companies with a hose pipe ban lifted them.

Here is an extract from a press release dated 4th April from Water UK, the 'trade association' of the water companies. It refers to the hose pipe ban.

'The law under which the bans have been introduced dates back some 60 years. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t exactly fit the modern world. The specifics of the legislation, including what is and what is not included, can seem odd and a number of anomalies have been spotted. However the purpose of the law is very clear indeed.

The original idea was to restrict the amount of water used to water private gardens and wash private motor cars. Whilst the law hasn’t been updated to include swimming pools, jet washers and computer-controlled irrigation systems, most people would support the sentiment and purpose of the law.'