Fed up with "managing" to do the washing up with minimal water, we decided we'd go out for supper tonight with both our Mums. As we sat with our Gs and Ts in the lobby of a local hotel where the water has not been affected, we spotted several families coming in with carrier bags, being given keys by reception. We learned that a couple of local firms - Waitrose and the Stroud and Swindon Building Society - had rented rooms for their staff and their families to use whilst we have no running water.

Considerate employers, we thought.