MILLIONS of Brits can sidestep the many hosepipe bands springing up around the country – but may not know it.
As much of England faces a blanket ban on using hosepipes to counter water shortages, there are a group of people who will avoid the penalty.
Southern Water recently joined other companies in issuing a hosepipe banGetty
Southern Water is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban – affecting almost one million customers – due to prolonged dry weather.
The move will come into force for residents across much of Hampshire and all of the Isle of Wight from 9am on Monday, July 21.
It will ban the use of a hosepipe for activities such as watering the garden, washing the car or filling a paddling pool.
Managing director Tim McMahon apologised to customers and said: “Only by working together can we make sure there’s enough water to go around for customers and the environment.”
Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and South East Water are also bringing in, or have brought in bans.
Anyone who breaches the ban without permission from the water company could be fined up to £1,000.
But anyone who holds a Blue Badge, issued by the government, can carry on using the watering method.
More than 2.8million people currently have the badges, which can be displayed in vehicles.
These are issued to people with disabilities or health conditions to allow them to park closer to their destination.
They cost up to £10 in England, £20 in Scotland and are free in Wales.
They usually last up to three years.
Under regulations governing water companies and hosepipe ban enforcement, people who are registered disabled, Blue Badge holders or on a water companies’ priority services register, are exempt from the ban.
Rainfall across England was 20% less than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for the country, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency has said.
More heatwave conditions have followed in July, with the Met Office warning weather extremes such as heat have become the “norm” for the UK as a result of climate change driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels.
Drought was declared in East and West Midlands on Tuesday, July 15 with the region joining swathes of northern England in drought status.
Yorkshire Water became the first major water company to bring in a hosepipe ban which came into effect on Friday, July 11.
South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex from July 18, and Thames Water is bringing in a ban from Tuesday, July 22 for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire.
Southern Water said restrictions would come in for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from July 21.
How do you qualify for a Blue Badge?
You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are aged 3 or over and at least one of the following applies:
You receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
You receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component).
You are registered blind (severely sight impaired).
You receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.
You have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.
You receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress.
If you have any score other than 10 points under descriptor E, in the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity of PIP you may still be eligible for a Blue Badge, but you do not automatically qualify. This includes if you have a higher score of 12. You will have to provide evidence to demonstrate your eligibility which will be assessed as part of your application.
Other conditions and benefits also make a person eligible, including if you cannot walk at all or you cannot walk without help from someone else. Click here to find out more. SOURCE: UK Government.
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