WATER METERS

Water meters are expected to be made compulsory in all homes to cut consumption. Ministers are to unveil proposals designed to cut average water use from 148 to 130 litres per person per day by 2030. The cost of installing a meter will run to £200 per house, a sum likely to be passed on to consumers. It is expected that 80% of households in England will pay for water using a meter by 2020. Those who use the highest amount of water will be worst affected. This includes large families, the disabled and those who regularly water large gardens or wash their cars.

However, those who tend to use less, such as the elderly and those who live alone, would see their bills greatly reduced. There is increasing concern that the 60% of households without a water meter are being punished with hugely inflated bills, which can be more than £300 a year higher. The water industry has been accused of using price pressure to effectively force households to switch to water meters. Ministers are considering targeting metering in areas where water shortages are most severe, and doing more to persuade people to switch voluntarily. (Source: Daily Mail, Jan/11)

Boilers are breaking down across Britain as water companies secretly cut pressure in the pipes. Water is often failing to reach flats more than a few floors up and families are being forced to pay for booster pumps just to shower. The firms admit they lower pressure to cut the amount leaking from old mains, to meet targets, but do not tell customers. Watchdogs are dealing with a string of complaints as the firms reap record profits, with more than £1.1billion made by Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent, South West and United Utilities in a year.

Customers can test their water pressure by seeing if they can fill a gallon bucket in 30 seconds from a ground-floor tap. Customers are entitled to a £25 refund if pressure falls below that level on two occasions of more than an hour within a month. But suppliers do not have to tell customers if they cut the pressure. Charlie Mullins, of London’s Pimlico Plumbers, said, “We are dealing with problems every day in high-rise flats and houses’ bathrooms because the pressure is not there. Boilers are calibrated at a specific level and will not fire up properly if the pressure is lower.”

The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors says low pressure is causing an increasing number of boiler failures. A spokesman said, “It’s unacceptable for firms to be able to drop any element of public service without explaining the potential impact.” Suppliers say they are struggling to cope with a crumbling pipe network up to 150 years old. Regulator Ofwat said, “Many firms do warn customers when they know the pressure will be reduced.” All the privatised firms now meet targets for reducing leaks, a spokesman added. (Source: Daily Mirror, Mar/10)

Every home in Britain will have to have a water meter fitted in the next few years leaving a typical family of four up to £200 worse off a year. This new Water Strategy aims to protect supplies and help combat global warming. It will be compulsory for water companies to install meters from 2010 and the work should be complete by 2015. Other changes will see water companies repairing leaking pipes in homes. People will also be encouraged to collect rainwater to wash their cars and water their garden. (Source: Sunday Mirror, Oct/07)

Folkestone and Dover Water, in Kent, has been given the go-ahead to force 65,000 householders to install water meters after it applied for "water scarcity status" because of the drought affecting the South East. Following the government ruling, other water firms are expected to adopt similar measures. Compulsory water metering was trialled in 11 areas across the country, including the Isle of Wight, in the 1980s. According to Ofwat papers, the National Water Metering Trials, from 1989 to 1993, showed an average reduction in domestic consumption of 11% because of compulsory meters. The exercise involved meters being installed in about 48,000 properties on the island.

But Folkestone and Dover Water's application is the first one of its kind by a water company under the Water Industry Regulations Act of 1999. A spokesman from Water UK, the body which represents water companies, said no other firms have plans to apply for compulsory water metering. He said other companies in the region were simply looking at the decision regarding Folkestone and Dover Water "with interest". The Environment Agency announced it favoured compulsory metering in southern England.

A rough calculation based on rainfall figures for 2005 shows that an average of 4.5 million litres of water per person fell on the UK. The average consumption of water per person was slightly over 50,000 litres. This means that just 1.2% of the incident rainfall needs to be captured to satisfy the demand for water consumption in this country. The posturing by the Government and water companies and the threats to impose water meters are not based on any shortage of water. It is a sad reflection of the failure to provide adequate water capture and treatment facilities. Norman Graves