Multi-millionaire Geoffrey Robinson exploited a loophole to use his sprinklers to spray thousands of gallons of precious water on his 10-acre estate.

It so enraged neighbors – who are forced to watch their own lawns turn brown and plants wither – that they took pictures and passed them to The Mail newspaper.

The story shows how in the summer water crisis, there is one rule for the rich and powerful and one for everyone else.

‘I’ve gone to great lengths to conserve water. I even drain my bath water using a hosepipe so I can put it on to my lawn. It takes a very long time, but I feel that I’m doing my bit to help while there’s a drought.’

But Robinson is not breaking any law – despite living in an area covered by the Thames Water hosepipe and sprinkler ban and which will soon be subject to a drought order.

This is because the MP, who is said to be worth more than $30 million, has sunk his own private well.

A close ally of Gordon Brown (expected to be the next British Prime Minister), Robinson owns the Left-wing political magazine New Statesman, which published a special ‘green’ issue in July.