New Home Owners And Snagging Forum
General Categories => Current Affairs => Topic started by: The Prophet on March 21, 2012, 11:03:54 am
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Water shortage hosepipe bans and water companies are being allowed not to fix leaking water mains
While water companies, particularly in the south and south east, are threatening their 20 million customers with £1,000 fines for breaching limited use orders banning the use of hose pipes, huge amounts of water are being wasted every day due to leaks not being repaired.
Water regulator Ofwat enforces a system that actually permits leakage.
Leaks are not required to be repaired if the cost of fixing them is less than the expense of not fixing them.
These costs can include environmental damage and the development of new water resources to compensate for the water lost due to leakage.
Ofwat claim that leakage has been reduced by 34% since the 1995 peak, equating to 400 million gallons a day.
But Thames Water, supplying 8.8 million homes wastes 155 million gallons a day due to leaks.
South East Water, supplying homes in Surrey, Sussex, Kent and parts of Hampshire is losing 21 million gallons a day due to leaks.
Ofwat say "Customers tell us they want leakage levels but don't want their bills to go up to pay for reduce leakage rates."
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A quarter (25%) of all water pumped through the mains is lost due to leaks.
In 2010, the water industry made an operating profit of £3.5billion.
Anglian Water made £447million but spent just £14million fixing leaks.
Southern Water's profits were £200million.
South East Water made £135million profit.
And consumer prices for water rise 5% again in April.
It is about time the water companies were fined by Ofwat for not fixing leaks.
Not fining their customers for using a hosepipe!
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This must be the wettest "drought" since records began!
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Due to a water shortage in Ireland, Dublin swimming baths have announced they are closing lanes 7 and 8.
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In London 6 years ago, despite drought restrictions, the amount of water being lost through leaking mains was enough to supply 3 million homes.
The then owner RWE paid £1bn to its mainly German shareholders.
Today, Thames Water is owned by Kemble Water and paid dividends of £180m to its Australian shareholders, whilst water continues to leak from its mains and water restrictions are introduced.
Ofwat during the 14 years it has been in existence to regulate the water industry, it has not fined a single water company for failing to repair leaks.
Why?