Newquay’s hanging baskets left dry as hosepipe ban bites

If the flower displays around town start looking a little sorry for themselves over the next few weeks, it will not be down to anyone forgetting. The hanging baskets are being left unwatered on purpose.

Newquay Town Council has confirmed it will not water its hanging baskets and flower beds while the South West Water hosepipe ban is in force. The restrictions were brought in after prolonged dry weather and drought conditions across the South West.

The rules reach further than private gardens

Most of the coverage of the ban has focused on cars, patios and back gardens. South West Water’s guidance goes wider than that. It states that hosepipes and sprinklers cannot be used to water hanging baskets, floral displays, flower beds or other ornamental planting in public areas such as town centres and parks.

That puts the planting which gives Newquay its summer colour in exactly the same position as the pots on your own doorstep.

The council expects the displays to show it

The council has not tried to dress up what that means for the town’s appearance over the rest of the season.

“While this may affect the appearance of some displays, we are committed to using water responsibly and doing our part to help safeguard essential water supplies during the current dry conditions,” the council said.

Rainwater harvesting is already being looked at

The longer-term answer, as the council sees it, is to stop relying on a mains hosepipe in the first place. It says it is already exploring sustainable solutions, including rainwater harvesting and water storage, to help protect and maintain its floral displays during future dry periods.

No date has been put on when normal watering will resume. That one is not the council’s call to make, and rests on how long South West Water’s restrictions stay in place.

📷Credit: Newquay Town Council