Hose pipe bans start

• A hose pipe ban in north west England came into force on 9 July at 6.00am. 
• The ban restricts the use of hose pipes or sprinklers for watering private gardens and washing private cars. 
• Gardeners will still be able to water their gardens with a watering can.
• If you are faced with a long walk to the water stand with your watering can, then if your hose has some kind of on/off unit at the delivery end, it is legal to continue to use your hose, but only to keep refilling your watering can at the point of use.
• If this hot weather continues for much longer, then it is safe to assume that further regions will start banning hose pipes as well. In addition, the use for garden and allotment watering may also be banned.
• If you don't already have a water butt, then this is probably a good reason and time to acquire one, even if you have no shed to collect water from, you can fill it before the ban and start dipping your watering can to save long walks to the tap stand.
• Before hand it would be wise to understand which crops need regular watering and which can tolerate a dry spell.
• If a ban affects your area then the best time to water plants is first thing in the morning, or late at night. 
• Avoid watering at the middle of the day when evaporation is at its peak.
• Weeds will use precious water that could be better used by your plants. 
• Hoe off weeds to reduce competition for water.
• New plants are very vulnerable to water-stress, so avoid planting anything new until conditions return to normal. 
• If you can't avoid planting now, make sure new plants are a priority for your limited water supply.