Why doesn't the UK have working publlic fountains?

Question

Our town has just put in a small one and it's very nice, once the Persil suds drain away and the supermarket trolley is taken back to Tescos. In Paris, public fountains abound and all those hegative ions really makes a difference to the atmosphere.

Answer 1

Even if you go to a French Hypo Market.The drinking water
provided from fountains,puts us to shame.

Answer 2

There used to be loads of fountains in the UK, the Victorians were very keen on them and most towns and cities had several of them.

The UK has a serious problem in that people don't respect their towns and cities - hence the amount of litter, vandalism, grafitti etc. Go elsewhere in Europe and you rarely see such problems, you're also likely to see more fountains because people respect them.

It's not that the UK hasn't had fountains but probably more that the cost of constantly repairing them isn't worth it. There used to be one where I lived until about 20 years ago but people kept pouring washing up liquid into it and great masses of bubbles would fill the surrounding area, it was on a slope so the wall of bubbles would make their way downhill. In the end the council gave up and for years it stood there idle, now it's been removed and paved over.

Answer 3

Like everything else we do in the U.K. to try to make everyones surroundings more pleasing and relaxing , we have this negative group of "numpties"who are hell bent on mindless vandalism. I agree with you a fountain is a lovely focal point in any community especially in the centre of a busy, dusty town- but after dusk we would be plagued by the usual suspects dumping litter, shopping trolleys and worse into the water.Short of having armed guards who would shoot on sight or groups of local vigilantes I can see no future for beautiful municipal installations within this bloody country! I am sorry but I get so angry when I see places like Germany. Italy and France compared to the so called United Kingdom.

Answer 4

hiya heinz, the reason they dont work is because of the mindless drunken morons and trash which troll about the streets at night when every other decent person is asleep,they crawl out of theire holes and do as much damage as possable and then crawl back into theire crummy little holes before dawn so no one can put any blame on them Like you said fountains do make a big difference to the atmosphere and town councils should be commended for installing them.but they should also put up some stocks for the scum who destroy them

Answer 5

We have fountains and they are fantastic. They are on the sprays coming up from the ground and spray in sequence. There are about 50 of them all at the same distance from each other set in a square shape. they all have spot lights underneath so in the night they are lit up of different colours. They take up a huge prt of our beach prom. And people sit there entertained by them for hours....oh yeah and the kids love them

East Anglia

Answer 6

lol yes i bet they do. Should put a GEO box next to them all. But we have them over in this neck of the woods, they are really nice once like yours the supermarket trolleys are taken away lol

Answer 7

We have in Edinburgh. Princes Street Gardens fountain has just been re-activated.

Answer 8

There is a beautiful one at Broadway Gardens in Letchworth Garden City.

Answer 9

Oh I wish we had a society that respected them. And many other things too. Mighty sad that we don't.The only property many folk take care of is their own. Even then, not always.

Answer 10

damn hosepipe bans lol