Fountain in full flow despite hosepipe ban

Despite a restriction being put on water usage last week, the display, which is next to Asda at the North Swindon retail park, has not been switched off.

Stuart Tanfield, of Hartnell Taylor Cook, who are responsible for running the fountain, said it runs off collected rain water, but did not deny that some fresh water is also used.

“We have had no instructions from the powers that be that we have to turn it off. In theory we manage it for Asda and nothing has been dictated to us that we have to turn it off,” he said.

“It is topped up with rain water and the water is recycled anyway. When it shoots up it goes back in the system so it is not straight from the tap. It is all treated with chemicals.”

Thames Water, which serves the town, announced the ban as the Environment Agency warned of severe drought.

The move makes it a criminal offence to use a hosepipe for most jobs, such as watering gardens, and washing the car, although using watering cans and buckets of tap water is still legal.

It has seen the fountain in the town centre turned off, but Thames Water has said that features using recycled water would not be handed the £1,000 fine.

Mr Tanfield said he could not confirm that no fresh water was being used in the fountain.

“I am not saying none at all because every so often it has to be drained completely and treated but most of the time the rain water tops it up,” he said.

A spokesman for Thames Water said they were relying on the public to enforce the ban.

“We want people to comply with it but we are a water company not a police force,” he said.

“What we are not encouraging people to do is snoop on their neighbours. We’d much rather if a neighbour sees them using a hosepipe just have a quiet word.”

“Public fountains that run off the mains water supply should be switched off.”

An Asda spokesman said: “It was an oversight that the fountain remained on, so we've asked that it be turned off as soon as possible.”