I am following advice to use old washing-up water instead of the hose. That said, I don't think the water in that butt would have lasted long this summer. By 2055, England is expected to need an additional five billion litres of water every day to meet demand. Do I really need to be told to drink water and apply sun cream? Somerset may not yet have a hosepipe ban, but this heatwave is reminding us that water is no longer something we can take for granted.