The hosepipe ban, leaks and sexual health.

Chatting to the lovely man in my local coffee shop this morning, he told me that building works on the next street had been held up for weeks because of a leak flooding the basement. They're pumping 60 gallons of water out every day and, despite repeated calls to the water authority, nothing has been done to stop the leak.

This is the same water authority that has recently announced a hosepipe ban because of water shortages in the south east, though they cite a lack of rain rather than an abundance of leaks as the reason. And although they fix 1,000 leaks per week and meet their targets for doing so their leak rate still tops 25%. The hosepipe ban will save 5%.

It's rather like sexual health.  Campaigns to prompt individuals to use condoms or take STI tests can be effective if done well. Community efforts to make healthy choices the norm are vital in any public health drive.  Look at the walloping difference gay men have made and continue to make around their awareness and action on HIV prevention compared to the rest of the population and you'll see what I mean.

But on their own they're not enough. Unless we take care of the leaks - those missed opportunities to diagnose HIV, or spot someone taking repeated risks with their sex lives, or support young people to make healthy choices about relationships and sex, or get better, as a nation, at talking about and using condoms - the underlying problem won't go away.

I'm sure Thames Water would say that, actually, replacing the cracked Victorian pipes that deliver London's water is the real key to sustainable supplies for the future. I'd argue that we have to take a similar look at how we deliver sexual health services today and educate our young people alongside efforts to improve individuals' sexual health.

Of course, there is a difference. We are not generally judged by others for a keen enjoyment of gardening. The same is not always true when it comes to our sex lives. Tempting though it might be to look for simple solutions, let's not kid ourselves that it's all the fault of those hosepipes. And as for the water supply... (insert your own sprinkler joke here)