A British water company ordered tankers to halt deliveries to the English countryside estate of the American billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, after local residents complained that some of the water was being used to fill a newly constructed lake on his property during a dry-weather period. Mr. Schwarzman, the co-founder and chief executive of the global investment firm Blackstone Group, did not violate local water restrictions — which do not apply to construction sites — but his water usage caused friction with some local residents. Mr. Schwarzman has been refurbishing a country house in the village of Conholt in east Wiltshire, about 80 miles southwest of London. Part of the estate lies in an English county, Hampshire, where dry weather has led to water restriction orders that prohibit residents from using hoses for watering gardens and other domestic uses. Tim McMahon, Southern Water’s managing director for water, said in a statement on Thursday that he was “appalled” by the use of water, even if it did not violate water restrictions.

Source: The Times September 12, 2025 21:36 UTC