While much of the south of England is described as golden brown due to multiple heatwaves and a lack of rain, some private schools and golf courses are maintaining green playing fields.
St Paul's school in Barnes, south-west London, and Dulwich College in south London, both with high annual fees, are keeping their sports pitches green using sprinklers. This is despite being closed for the summer holidays.
Similar contrasts are evident at the Royal St George's Golf Club in Kent. These sites benefit from exemptions to hosepipe bans, which currently affect 40% of the English population and have been implemented by seven water companies, including Thames Water and South East Water.
Residents under hosepipe bans have expressed frustration, with some unable to water their own gardens or fill paddling pools for children during temperatures that have reached 30C or above on 24 occasions this summer. Labour MP Helena Dollimore and campaign group We Own It have called for changes to the water system, citing inequalities.
St Paul's school is preparing a letter to local residents to explain that they are watering sports pitches, not wider grounds, in line with Thames Water guidance, and that this water comes from a dedicated standpipe, not mains drinking water.