Water boards have so far handed out 39 fines to private individuals and farmers who have broken the ban on sprinklers and given official warnings to 150 more, the national water board association said on Thursday.

The minimum fine is €500 for individuals and €1,500 for companies. Water boards have been using spotter planes and drones in an effort to catch illegal watering.

‘These figures show that the ban is working well,’ spokesman Dirk-Siert Schoonman told Radio 1 news. ‘Most people take note when they get an official warning and don’t make the same mistake again.’

Most fines have been handed out in Gelderland and Overijssel where farmers have faced the major problems because of the drought.

Thirteen of the 21 water boards in the Netherlands have imposed a ban on using water from lakes or streams for irrigation.