COMPULSORY
Water companies may be allowed to impose meters
on millions of customers under measures being
considered by ministers.
The devices would cost the average customer a
fixed fee of about £40 a year. Customers might
be able to recoup all or some of this by using
less water. (Source: Times Online, Nov/06) |
COMPULSORY
METERING
Labour fiercely opposed compulsory metering in
opposition, calling it a "tax on family
life". The environment minister insisted
that water meters would not be made compulsory in
the UK but said they were needed in areas where
there was a water shortage.
Environment Minister Elliot Morley said, "At
the moment we believe people should have the
option of whether to have a water meter but when
you have an issue of water scarcity as they have
in Dover and Folkestone, compounded by a very bad
drought, you have to take that into
account." (Source: BBC News, Mar/06) |
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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 Londons 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, Its 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
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