Thousands of Sydneysiders have been dobbed in by their neighbours since the introduction of strict water restrictions.

Sydney Water has received more than 4000 complaints since level two water restrictions were put in place last month.

Only six people have been fined for breaching water restrictions since September but more than 220 have been given official warnings.

NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey tells Mark Levy there is no doubt the restrictions are tough but they must be obeyed.

“We must respect those restrictions to get the longevity out of our water supply.

“We don’t want to be out there just fining people, we’re not in the business of that, so there have been several hundred written warnings.”

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Sydney Water spokesperson Peter Hadfield says they are focused on educating the public rather than policing.

“We’ve reduced the water consumption across Sydney by 9.3 per cent.”

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