© 2024
NPR for Northern Colorado
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Drought Means 20 Million People In England Can't Use Hoses

No hoses, please. (2006 file photo from Knutsford, England.)
Christopher Furlong
/
Getty Images
No hoses, please. (2006 file photo from Knutsford, England.)

The words "hosepipe ban" popped up in a lot of headlines today, and since we'd never seen that phrase before we wondered what was going on.

It turns out that 20 million people in south-east England, including London, have been told they can't use hoses to water their gardens, wash their cars, fill their pools, clean their patios and a variety of other things ( the BBC has a Q&A on what's allowed and not allowed).

Larry Miller, reporting for the NPR Newscast

If you get caught using a hose, "there's a $1,600 fine," Larry Miller tells our Newscast Desk.

According toThe Guardian, the region is suffering through "one of the worst droughts... since 1976 and [ the hosepipe ban] could last into the autumn, or even later."

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

But watering cans are still OK. (2008 file photo from London.)
Chris Jackson / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
But watering cans are still OK. (2008 file photo from London.)

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
Related Content