Another 15million are hit by hosepipe ban
BRITAIN’S biggest water company – which has the worst record on leaking pipes – will impose a hosepipe ban from next week.
Thames Water, which has 15million customers in London and the South East, said water levels in reservoirs were ‘much lower than usual’ and the ban will begin on August 24.
Breaking the ban on using a hosepipe to water the garden, wash a car or fill a pool could result in a fine of up to £1,000.
Thames Water has been in the firing line for its shocking rates of leakage, the £2million pay package of its chief executive Sarah Bentley and for routinely spilling raw sewage in rivers.
The company loses an average of more 600million litres of water a day, a quarter of that supplied.
In addition, a £250million desalination plant that was designed to become operational during droughts is currently out of action, awaiting repairs, and the water company has also sold off several reservoirs.
Thames joins Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East
Water in implementing bans, with South West Water and Yorkshire Water following suit on August 23 and 26 respectively – meaning more than 29.4million UK customers will be affected by the end of next week. The announcement comes after a drought was officially declared across most of England following the driest first half of the year since 1976.
But yesterday the Thames region experienced thunderstorms and flash floods, which caused transport chaos across the region.
However, it will take weeks’ worth of rain to replenish water sources and end the drought.
A Lib Dem spokesman said: ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if Thames Water bothered to invest properly.’.
Andy Prendergast, national secretary of the GMB union, said: ‘Privatising water has been a disastrous failed experiment, it’s time to bring this essential natural resource back into public hands.’
‘A disastrous failed experiment’