Dry conditions and impending drought mean millions of people in the UK are now, or will soon be, under a hosepipe ban. There is a “temporary use ban” in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with Kent and Sussex to follow. It’s virtually impossible for water suppliers to enforce this ban themselves, so some are reportedly urging customers to report if they spot neighbours flouting the bans.
This presents an ethical dilemma: If you see your neighbour filling up the paddling pool for the third time this week, should you snitch? In philosophical terms: is it morally obligatory to report on your neighbour’s hosepipe use? The alternatives are that it is morally permissible (you can do, but you don’t have to) or that it is morally impermissible (you could be doing something morally wrong if you snitched on your neighbour).
