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'Hosepipe ban is crazy while pipes are leaking'

Paul Murphy,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire climate and environment correspondentand
Holly Phillips,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
News imageBBC Sharon Hewitt, wearing a grey top with small blue, pink and yellow spots on, and black-rimmed glasses, looking to the left side of the camera. She has ginger hair tied back and is stood in the street in front of a red brick building. BBC
Sharon Hewitt says the hosepipe ban is "crazy" after seeing her street closed by a burst water main

People living in North Lincolnshire town say it is "crazy" that they face a hosepipe ban when water leaks in their street have still have not been fixed.

Barton-upon-Humber has recently seen leaks on Marsh Lane, Eastfield Road and Chapel Lane. Part of Fleetgate remains closed after a mains water pipe burst.

Anglian Water, which introduced a hosepipe ban on Saturday, said its teams were "working hard through the hot weather to prioritise repairs".

Sharon Hewitt, who lives on Fleetgate, said: "It's crazy. There's water gushing out like that when we're not allowed to water out gardens."

Glynis Nifton added: "There was all signs of roads closed yesterday [Sunday] but nothing was done, nothing happened.

"It's not the only one, there's been several around Barton. But this is the worst."

Anglian Water said the mains burst had been a result of the ground moving due to the recent high temperatures.

News imageGlynis Nifton, wearing a white, black and beige floral top, a navy zip-up fleece and black sunglasses, smiling at the camera. She has brown hair tied back and a small plaster on her forehead. She is stood in the street in front of a red brick building.
Glynis Nifton says people living in town are frustrated after seeing several water leaks in recent weeks

Other residents also voiced their frustration over "paying the same amount" on their water bills despite not being able to use their hosepipes.

Patrick Ladley said: "They [Anglian Water] leave it about a month or six weeks before they do anything with it [the leaks] and then they're complaining about us using a hosepipe.

"They're letting all this water run down the drains and we don't get any reduction in our water bills."

When announcing the hosepipe ban, Anglian Water described the measures as "temporary" and said people could still water fruit, vegetables and gardens using a watering can.

The restrictions only apply to domestic use of hosepipes for actions like filling paddling pools and hot tubs, washing cars and windows, and watering the garden.

"We'd like to thank our customers for their patience while we respond to the challenges created by this period of exceptionally warm weather," a spokesperson added.

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