With more warm weather expected this week, we're reminding customers to take care with water in the garden - and some of the safety issues to be aware of when using hosepipes.
Paddling pools, hot tubs and ponds can pose risks in the summer, especially to young children.
The Royal Life Saving Society uses the acronym SAFE:
Supervise at all times – make sure children are never left alone near water.
After use, cover it – if you are not draining your pool or hot tub, cover it over, and lock this if you can.
Fence it, gate it, or grill it – Make sure garden gates are always locked. Put mesh or a grill over ponds, water features, troughs, and water butts.
Empty it, turn it – after use, empty out your pool and turn it upside down to prevent accidents.
And did you know that hosepipes which are incorrectly fitted, or left submerged in places like ponds, watering cans or paddling pools, can cause illness because the dirty water can backflow into the drinking water supply?
It is recommended to fit an approved double check valve to hosepipes to prevent any water, or contaminants from the garden, ponds or paddling pools, flowing back into your mains drinking water supply; and turn off your hosepipe at the tap and ideally fully disconnect it when not in use.
Keep your hose somewhere cool and out of the sun – and don’t use a hosepipe that has been sitting around and full of warm water to fill a hot tub. The warm water will allow bacteria including Legionella to quickly grow.
As well as that, if your hose pipe has been left out in the sun, the water inside can become hot enough to cause serious burns. So on warm days, don’t forget to gently run the water out of the hose before you use it.
