WATER companies are encouraging customers to report neighbouring “water hogs” as the hosepipe ban affecting 13 million people starts to bite.

Anonymous telephone or e-mail tip-offs are helping them to build prosecution cases against persistent offenders. One company is asking customers to file detailed intelligence about their neighbours’ water use over the internet. Offenders in parts of the South East could be fined up to £1,000 for sprinkling their flower beds or using a hose to clean their car.

The measures reflect the seriousness of what the Environment Agency has forecast could be the worst drought in 100 years.

Seven companies have already banned the watering of plants, lawns, vegetable patches, hanging baskets and cars with a hose or sprinkler. Emergency powers to curb a range of “non-essential watering” activities, affecting parks, golf courses, car washes, swimming pools, public transport and office blocks, are also under consideration.

Three Valleys Water, which has successfully avoided hosepipe bans for the past 14 years, reports on its website that some of its customers are reporting low water pressure or, at worst, no water pressure, at peak times. “This tells us that some customers are still using excessive amounts of water during these times, which is unfair on those people who are doing their best to conserve water.”

Three Valleys, which serves three million customers bordering London, provides an anonymous form marked “Report a Waterhog!” for the angry law-abider to get even.

Under the name and address of the “irresponsible water user” they are asked to provide details of whether their neighbour is using a sprinkler or hosepipe or filling a swimming pool, how often, at what time of day, and for how long. A spokesman said yesterday: “We are serious about the need for everyone to conserve water. If we find that some customers blatantly waste water then we will take legal action.”

Eleven people have filled in the form so far but the company believes that it could be a month before its effectiveness as a deterrent becomes clear.

At Thames Water, which supplies drinking water to more than eight million people in Greater London, the telephone helpline offers the chance to leave an anonymous report of hosepipe or sprinkler misuse.

A spokesman said that the firm relied on the public to draw its attention to irresponsible water users. “We’re not actively encouraging people to snoop on their neighbours but if somebody wants to do that then we’ve made that option available to them. Our own resources are focused on tackling leaks from our pipes. In terms of enforcing the restrictions to a large degree we are relying on people’s goodwill but this is serious, we have the power to prosecute and we will. Where someone knowingly ignores the restrictions we can fine them up to £1,000.”

Inconsiderate neighbours are also fair game in Sussex and Kent, where anonymous telephone and e-mail messages are being accepted by Southern Water. For the time being, the company is stopping short of an internet reporting option.

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