THOUSANDS of people would grass on their neighbours during the hosepipe ban, research reveals.

It comes after two water bans were announced across the South East in the last week. 

Southern Water’s hosepipe restrictions for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are beginning today. 

South East Water’s ban will come into effect on August 12, affecting roughly 310,034 properties and 726,360 people in Sussex.

Water companies are urging people to ensure that no garden is watered, and no law is broken. 

However, if you are not willing to let your garden dry out, you could be faced with a £1,000 fine.

The Argus:

Clearitwaste.co.uk sought to find out which are the UK areas with the most “hosepipe snitches”. 

It used Ustats.org to survey 5,367 Brits, asking them whether they would tell on their neighbours or keep it to themselves.

The research found that 17.23 per cent of those surveyed in the South East would report their neighbours if they saw them using a hosepipe.

The most "tell tales" were in Scotland, with 32.11 per cent. The South West came in second at 29.61 per cent and Wales third with 19.64 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, London has the most people who would ignore their neighbours breaking the ban - 94.08 per cent of those asked said they would not snitch. The capital is followed by Yorkshire and the Humber and Northern Ireland with 92.44 per cent and 90.24 per cent respectively.