Under-fire West Ham owner David Sullivan doesn't need to worry about the hosepipe ban as his mansion's huge swimming pool is still surrounded by greenery

By AIDAN RADNEDGE, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:36, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 17:39, 13 August 2026 West Ham United owner David Sullivan is among the wealthy people whose homes and grounds have some relief from the UK's scorching heatwave summer. The pornography entrepreneur, 77, has a large swimming pool at his mansion in Epping, Essex, protected by surrounding greenery – though the grass across the sprawling estate does appear parched. Sullivan announced in June his resignation from being Championship club West Ham's chairman, as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct which he denies. The Cardiff-born businessman remains West Ham's largest shareholder, with a 38.8 per cent stake.  Britain's sweltering conditions in recent weeks have left many fields and gardens turned yellow or brown rather than green. Among those affected have been grounds belonging to former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney in East Sussex and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in West Sussex. Yet another rock'n'roll knight Sir Rod Stewart's mansion in Essex still appears circled by green grass. And celebrity chef Jamie Oliver also still has lush fields at his own Essex home – helped by the advantage of a nearby private lake. West Ham's leading shareholder David Sullivan's Essex home pool is protected by greenery West Ham co-owner David Sullivan, pictured last Saturday, has been accused of abusing a number of women and preying on them for sex - he denies the allegations Sullivan made a public appearance at West Ham's London Stadium last Saturday when the side relegated last season beat Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup. This was despite the stadium's operators indicating they did not want him there, with fears about potential unrest among supporters. The club's own fan advisory board said his presence would cause 'offence and upset'.  Sullivan was the subject of a BBC Panorama and The Times investigation earlier this year, alleging sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour against seven women. Sullivan stepped down as joint chairman of West Ham shortly before Panorama's investigation went to air, insisting he wanted to focus on fighting 'factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life'. Seven women gave detailed accounts of experiences they claim to have had with Sullivan as young models seeking work on his Sunday Sport and Daily Sport newspapers. They accuse Sullivan of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour, including pressuring them for sex or oral sex during business meetings by suggesting it would aid their careers. Sullivan denies the allegations. The BBC also reported that Sullivan, 77, had separately admitted to paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl who he understood to be 16 or 17 years old.  This is Sullivan's mansion in Essex, which is where a number of the alleged incidents are said to have happened He was in his 40s at the time, and it only became illegal to pay for sex with a 16 or 17-year-old in 2003. Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim of Sullivan's predatory behaviour who wanted to be named. She claims that, as a 24-year-old aspiring model, Sullivan tried to pressure her into a sexual encounter by suggesting it would advance her career. Ms Wall said that in 1998, she was invited to Sullivan's Essex mansion for what she had believed would be a business meeting. She recalled being surprised to find him dressed very informally, in flip-flops, red shorts and a T-shirt. Sullivan leafed through her modelling portfolio while repeating 'very nice, very nice', in a way that made her uncomfortable, Ms Wall says. She says he then instructed her to follow him upstairs and undress down to her underwear – which she did, because she was interested in seeking topless modelling work. He then allegedly told her to come and sit next to him – at which point she moved away and put her bra back on. Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim who wanted to be named, and claims Sullivan tried to have sex with her in exchange for help with her career A 1990s-era modelling shot of Ms Wall, from around the time she claims Sullivan tried to pressure her into a sexual encounter When she told him she would not sleep with him, she claims he looked 'very shocked' and replied: 'What, not even a b**w job?' Ms Wall said she was 'really scared' to find the door locked when she tried to leave, but that Sullivan opened it when she demanded to be let out. She later appeared in his Sport newspaper, but said she was often given the worst jobs. A woman, whose name has been changed to Anna by the publishers of the investigation, appeared in the Sport the month after her 17th birthday. She entered the Miss Sport competition, which involved sending photos into the newspaper. She was then invited to an event at an Essex nightclub, which she attended with her mother as a chaperone. At the venue – where the entertainment included women dancing on tabletops surrounded by large groups of 'touchy-feely' men – she claims she was invited to go for a private chat with Sullivan. He allegedly asked the 17-year-old to give him a 'b**w job', promising he would make her a 'star' – but she refused. Another alleged victim, whose name was changed to Florence, claimed that Sullivan 'took away her innocence' when she was pressured into sleeping with him in 1999. Sullivan, pictured at the London Stadium last November for a match between West Ham United and Newcastle United, has strenuously denied the allegations against him The Panorama and Times investigation also found that Sullivan was banned from contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for the past three years due to safeguarding concerns after a historical allegation into his alleged conduct was raised with the FA in 2023. Sullivan has denied the allegation and says he has never met any academy or women's player 'one-to-one' during his 16-year tenure at West Ham. A spokesman for London Stadium said that 'following media reports at the end of the season regarding a safeguarding matter being managed by the club, London Stadium sought further information to ensure it could fulfil its own safeguarding responsibilities'. The spokesman added that West Ham had responded, saying the 'matter was investigated and that the club does not consider there to be an ongoing safeguarding risk associated with Mr Sullivan attending the stadium'. The London Stadium upheld its recommendation that Sullivan stay away from games due to the risk of 'potential for demonstrations and anti-social behaviour by some spectators' – but he was there for last Saturday's season opener. Sullivan's business enterprises have included sex shops, 0898 chatlines, pornographic magazines such as Penthouse and the newspapers the Sunday Sport and the Daily Sport.  Among his employees has been Baroness Karren Brady, who was 20 when appointed by Sullivan as a director at Sport Newspapers. David Sullivan (right) remains West Ham United's leading shareholder - he is pictured in February 2011 with former club directors Karren Brady (centre) and the late David Gold (left) The Apprentice star Lady Brady served as vice-chair of West Ham from January 2010 until announcing her departure from the role in April this year. The green conditions pictured at Sullivan's mansion come as drought has been declared for all of Wales and almost three-quarters of England – and a sixth heatwave of the year saw temperatures pass 38C (100.4F).  It was confirmed this week the UK is on course for its hottest summer ever – with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to beat a record set only last year. The mean temperature for the summer so far, from June 1 to yesterday, stands at 16.48C – which is 1.88C above the 1991 to 2020 average, provisional data shows. A hosepipe ban was imposed last month by South East Water, covering Berkshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. Pictures emerged this week of the lush grounds around 81-year-old Sir Rod's Grade II-listed, 18th-century Essex mansion he bought for £4.65million in 2013. They remained a healthy green despite a series of record-breaking UK heatwaves – and with the Met Office this week issuing 'amber alert' warnings. Sir Rod's property is supplied by Affinity Water, which introduced a hosepipe ban across its central region, including Essex, on July 17 due to the weather conditions. Sir Rod Stewart¿s Grade II-listed mansion has very green gardens despite the dry weather Your browser does not support iframes. The former Faces frontman's ten-bedroom home opens on to a range of gardens and includes a mini golf course with a fairway, two bunkers and a putting green. There is also an artificial football pitch with a 20-space car park which Sir Rod had installed at the property before moving in with wife Penny Lancaster in 2016. Nine water companies have brought in bans, which mean customers are legally banned from using hosepipes to water gardens or wash cars, patios or boats. There is no evidence Sir Rod has breached a ban, given there are many workarounds for watering grass such as using a watering can. He may also have an exemption.  Elsewhere in the same county, Oliver has installed hosepipes between the pond and his garden, which is markedly greener than the parched countryside around it. Water taken from a privately owned source – such as from a lake, pond, spring or well on a property – is exempt from the hosepipe ban. Oliver has lived at the Grade I-listed 12-bedroom property since purchasing it for £6million in 2019, and a pond sits within its 70-acre site. Faring perhaps less well is 82-year-old Keith Richards's West Sussex home, with a small garden circled by buildings – but with other grass on his estate just as brown and dry as the surrounding fields. With no visible private water source, Richards cannot rely on a handy nearby lake to get around restrictions, which came into place in the county on July 25.