Leading article: Don't ridicule the hosepipe ban, it did its job

For all those whose homes, streets and camping grounds have been flooded in recent weeks, and for all those turned away from the mud-bath that was Silverstone before the British Grand Prix, the lifting of the last hosepipe bans invited nothing so much as bitter laughter. That the downpours set in almost as soon as the restrictions came into force, however, does not mean that they were misguided. After two acutely dry winters, the threat of drought was real. It is an unfortunate fact of our geography that demand for water and its supply are out of kilter. Without pipelines to address this, outlawing hoses is the next best response. We should just be grateful that this time nature has brought itself back into balance or – if you prefer – that a hosepipe ban tends to open the heavens at least as reliably as a rain dance.