Hampshire hosepipe ban: 'I would do a rain dance if it meant we could get rain'

These are the words of a Weston gardener who has been going the extra mile to save water.

With a hosepipe ban coming into force next week, Malcolm Harvey, of Mayfield Plant Nursery, has been forced to take decisive measures to run his garden shop during the latest dry spell.

This month's heatwave has brought record-breaking temperatures and due to a lack of rainfall, this summer is one of the driest since 1976.

The 63-year-old, who's been in the industry for 35 years, has come up with a new way to water his plants, which he says allows him to cut water use by 10 to 20 per cent.

Malcolm Harvey, 63, from Mayfield Plant Nursery has been forced to take decisive measures to save water in his garden shop.

This involves using a pad under the plant's pots to retain the soil's moisture, which in turns means plants don't need watering as often.

But even this new method has not proved faultless in the current heat.

He said: “I want to conserve as much water as possible but in this kind of weather, it’s almost impossible. I watered the plants this morning but, in this heat, the pads are already dried up.

“We have a rain collecting system, but it hasn’t rained in the past six to eight weeks, which means we have had to use more water.

“I would do a rain dance if it meant we could get more rain.”

The Park Gate gardener is finding himself having to re-water his plants more regularly.

However, he has shared a word of advice for those worried about looking after their gardens while the cap is in place.

"Try to recycle any household water, so if you’re washing up, you can use your washup water to water your plants, as long as it doesn’t contain any detergent – and washup liquid is not detergent," he said.

As for watering habits, in order to save water, his advice is "little but often".

The hosepipe ban comes into force next Friday, August 5.

It's the result of extremely low water levels in the River Test and River Itchen.

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