You can hose down your boat

EVEN if there is a hosepipe ban in your area, you can still use one to hose down your boat, the British Marine Federation has proved.

The federation have had discussions with Water UK, concerning the 'Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010' the use of water having been prohibited for specified purposes, most of which involve using a hosepipe

Health and safety

It has now been established that the washing of private and commercial boats for health and safety reasons is exempt at this stage of the drought.

Health and safety reasons in this context include removing or minimising any risk to human or animal health or safety and preventing or controlling the spread of causative agents of disease.

Recognises importance

The government recognises the importance of washing down boats to minimise the spread of invasive non native species. However, both the federation and Water UK recommend that anyone using mains water to wash down their boat under the above conditions should carry out an internal Health and Safety audit, demonstrating that every consideration has been made to minimise the amount of water used when washing down boats.