What exactly is a hosepipe ban? It is properly called a water conservation order – a legal order issued by Uisce Éireann prohibiting use of water in certain specified ways that are deemed non-essential. It is imposed at times when water supplies are strained.Where and when does it apply? Uisce Éireann has issued one that takes effect from Thursday, July 16th, and will remain in force until August 26th in Dublin, large parts of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, Wexford and south Tipperary. What does it ban? As the colloquial name indicates, it prohibits using a hosepipe to water gardens, wash cars or private leisure boats, fill or maintain ponds or fountains – except where there are fish – and fill or maintain domestic swimming pools and paddling pools. Paddling pools may be filled from the tap by hand-held containers, however. Why bother including them in the ban then? It’s a self-limiting exercise. The thinking is that after the average householder has traipsed back and forward a few dozen times with buckets of water from the tap, they’ll give up and tell the kids to forget snorkelling and enjoy their few inches of splashing. A hosepipe makes it too tempting to fill a pool to the brim, and running one for 15 minutes uses about a quarter the water an average family uses for all their needs in a day. What is the penalty for breaching the order? A fine of €125 applies to each offence and, if the matter is serious enough to reach court, a fine of up to €5,000 can be imposed on conviction. How often are people fined or convicted? Never. Why not? Does everyone automatically comply? Uisce Éireann usually reports that issuing an order is sufficient to convey how serious the water situation is and people ease up on their usage. It usually finds that where breaches are discovered, a request to desist generally does the job. How are breaches discovered? Members of the public sometimes report banned activities on Uisce Éireann’s incident notification line. Also, Uisce Éireann has flow meters that help pinpoint leaks by detecting unusually large flows of water so they can flag suspiciously high usage. Is it really necessary to go through the palaver of issuing orders if they are never fully enforced? The order provides at least the potential for laying down the law. Picture the public reaction if someone was blatantly ignoring the water crisis and filling their indoor and outdoor matching lap pools to overflowing every second day and all Uisce Éireann could do was ask them nicely not to. Never mind swimming pools – do I have to let my tomato plants wither and die? No, you can use a watering can and if you can deploy pre-used water – from washing dishes or rinsing clothes, for example – so much the better. Is it common to have a hosepipe ban in Ireland in July? It has been quite a regular feature of the Irish summer in recent years. In 2018, a ban was introduced in the Greater Dublin Area at the start of July and extended to the whole country weeks later. It lasted until the end of September. In 2020, a nationwide ban was introduced in early June and was due to run until late July but was lifted early after heavy rain.A limited ban was imposed in 2022, covering west Cork for a period from late August.[ High temperature warning remains in place, as Dublin faces water restrictionsOpens in new window ]Last year, Uisce Éireann issued its earliest ever hosepipe ban, which covered parts of counties Donegal, Meath and Westmeath from May 1st and was later extended to more counties.