I don't have a meter, but people with water meters would surely be forgiven for thinking they can use as much water as they like since they're paying for it?
Well I have a meter (& a hosepipe) and don't feel that at all.
Are you OK with Roman Abramovitch running the taps day & night to create his own private reservoir, then? He'll be happy to pay of course...
People with that kind of wealth can usually do what they like. My comment was more to do with the man in the street.
Just to state my views: I was against privatisation and I'm not that keen on water meters.
I don't have a meter, but people with water meters would surely be forgiven for thinking they can use as much water as they like since they're paying for it?
Well I have a meter (& a hosepipe) and don't feel that at all.
Are you OK with Roman Abramovitch running the taps day & night to create his own private reservoir, then? He'll be happy to pay of course...
People with that kind of wealth can usually do what they like. My comment was more to do with the man in the street.
Just to state my views: I was against privatisation and I'm not that keen on water meters.
We've actually saved plenty of money since having a meter installed. What's wrong with paying for how much you use of something?
It is a unique and perverse mental punishment from the evil powers in charge.
When it rains you feel miserable and when the sun shines you feel guilty. Perfect.
It will drive us all mental by October.
By the way, check out Director level salaries at the water companies (privatised state monopolies). How much business brilliance do you need to make someone turn a tap on when they are thirsty?
Strange how it was a shit summer last year ? wrong type or rain maybe?
just had my water bill for the year £320 thats March 2012 until March 2013 -----nice paying in advance .
None of the utility companies should have gone into private hands. The lie the Tories told us (and we fell for it) was the public utilities are shit--- private companies will REDUCE costs to us by being competative-----except they aint and they dont and they never will.
EDF -----75% French state owned. Increases caped at at a max of 9%. Not in the UK where we play on that famous "level playing field" which isnt for us.
Not reading the post but what happens to my kosovan friends who do such a good job on my car, as they all use hose pipes?? Will they be paying fines or simply told not to work?? Or, more worryingly, am I going to have to wash it myself
Not reading the post but what happens to my kosovan friends who do such a good job on my car, as they all use hose pipes?? Will they be paying fines or simply told not to work?? Or, more worryingly, am I going to have to wash it myself
See previous answer. All you have to do is drive to Yangzhou, problem solved
The whole point of the water companies is to make MASSIVE profit, principally for passive shareholders.
On this basis, the water companies are a resounding success.
Unlike other energy sources, the customer has no choice of company to buy his water from.
Despite the capital cost, perhaps ultimately what is needed is a national grid of water supply - if they can supply gas nationally, then they can supply water from where it is plentiful to other parts of the country where it is needed.
And at last the customer would have a choice of company to buy from.
Of course he is correct the water resourses were sold off by the Thatcher government and now their key criterion is to produce dividends for their shareholders instead of providing a continuing and improved means of supply of water to the population. The main difference between gas and water is weight, water is much heavier and hence requires vastly more energy to pump it through a grid system so it will be expensive to install and run and that will need to be paid for. However as it's the one resource than we cannot live without I believe it should be a key priority for this and successive governments to complete such a project. It is ridiculous that we live on such a water rich island and yet a large part of the population are subjected to water rationing because that what this is.
A lot to do with it is folk who pave their front gardens to park their cars on. The water table in some parts of The UK has been severly altered by this practice....the water goes straight into the drains instead of the earth. May I ask any of you who are considering having your garden paved over to consider the options to use a system which allows rain water back into the ground....I believe there are special bricks which will allow this as well as the possibility of gullies etc. Besides, it keeps the soil/clay around your home moist, which in turn helps to prevent subsidence.
Can't argue with that SoundAsa£ and I am one of the people who have done just that. Regretfully I didn't give this any thought and would have installed drainage grids so the water could seep back into the ground if I knew what the ramifications were going to be. I do believe that now in Bexley you have to get permission to pave your front over but I may be wrong about that.
The other problem this causes is that when we do have rain storms the water has nowhere to go and at leat in our case floods the road.
A lot to do with it is folk who pave their front gardens to park their cars on. The water table in some parts of The UK has been severly altered by this practice....the water goes straight into the drains instead of the earth. May I ask any of you who are considering having your garden paved over to consider the options to use a system which allows rain water back into the ground....I believe there are special bricks which will allow this as well as the possibility of gullies etc. Besides, it keeps the soil/clay around your home moist, which in turn helps to prevent subsidence.
I don't have a meter, but people with water meters would surely be forgiven for thinking they can use as much water as they like since they're paying for it?
Well I have a meter (& a hosepipe) and don't feel that at all.
Are you OK with Roman Abramovitch running the taps day & night to create his own private reservoir, then? He'll be happy to pay of course...
People with that kind of wealth can usually do what they like. My comment was more to do with the man in the street.
Just to state my views: I was against privatisation and I'm not that keen on water meters.
We've actually saved plenty of money since having a meter installed. What's wrong with paying for how much you use of something?
My late mother had a water meter and there was a leak in the vicinity of the meter which resulted in them demanding thousands of pounds from her and hounding her for months. She was not some frail old woman, but it did wear her down. Does someone in their 80s need that kind of harassment?
there wouldnt be a water shortage if all the water companies fixed the underground leaks !!
Oh yeah, I'd forgotten how easy it is to solve the problem.
not saying its easy, but take into account the profits of these water companies a few more gangs on the streets would help, i read the other day that Southern Water alone lose millions of litres a day due to underground poorly maintained water mains, its not all down to ground movement !!!
Doesn't this country still have a canal system ? I think it runs from Loch Ness in the north to the Thames in the south and any number of places in between. Simple way of moving water from north to south although it would need investment in pumping stations. Cheaper than talk of a network of pipes.
We're a fricking island surrounded by water. If the water companies invested in drastically reducing leakage, invested in systematically improving the infrastructure and storage capacity and invested in desalination plants around the coast, we would never be in a 'drought' situation again.
And when I say 'invest' I mean borrow the money, just as every other business in this world has to do to fund improvements in delivering it's product to the end user - and not by charging the end user to provide the funds for that investment.
In some circumstances - water supply being the primary one - state ownership is a must. Energy, water and transport should all be in state hands and not there for private profit.
You musn't mention 'desalination' Addickted It's heresy as I was enlightened earlier in this thread.
It's not 'heresy' - it's a perfectly legitimate question. It's just that there are equally perfectly legitimate reasons why it isn't (yet, at least) a going concern.
Problem solved lads, the Government has announced it may consider using water cannon if riots break out again this year. So when your grass starts looking a little brown round the edges get a few mates to gather on your lawn with their hoods up and you will soon be knee deep and sloshing around in the stuff.
A strange coincidence that in our area they've speeded up compulsory metrication (or meterfication perhaps), gleefully blocking roads and pavements for months why they fit them!
Surprise, surprise now we have a shortage and probable price increases....
My late mother had a water meter and there was a leak in the vicinity of the meter which resulted in them demanding thousands of pounds from her and hounding her for months. She was not some frail old woman, but it did wear her down. Does someone in their 80s need that kind of harassment?
No they don't, that's why there's the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.. Why didn't you use it?
£1 a day all I'm paying - latest Thames Water bill (Aug-Feb) was £136 for 200 days. Family house, 3-5 people (all adults) at any one time, inc some hosepipe use though not huge amounts in that period. This is with a meter. This is lower than when we did NOT have a meter, which must be at least 10 years ago.
In contrast to (say) Council Tax it doesn't seem too bad...
SW a special case obviously, but £80 a month is crazy/scary
Comments
Just to state my views: I was against privatisation and I'm not that keen on water meters.
It is a unique and perverse mental punishment from the evil powers in charge.
When it rains you feel miserable and when the sun shines you feel guilty. Perfect.
It will drive us all mental by October.
By the way, check out Director level salaries at the water companies (privatised state monopolies). How much business brilliance do you need to make someone turn a tap on when they are thirsty?
Only in England..
just had my water bill for the year £320 thats March 2012 until March 2013 -----nice paying in advance .
None of the utility companies should have gone into private hands. The lie the Tories told us (and we fell for it) was the public utilities are shit--- private companies will REDUCE costs to us by being competative-----except they aint and they dont and they never will.
EDF -----75% French state owned. Increases caped at at a max of 9%. Not in the UK where we play on that famous "level playing field" which isnt for us.
The whole point of the water companies is to make MASSIVE profit, principally for passive shareholders.
On this basis, the water companies are a resounding success.
Unlike other energy sources, the customer has no choice of company to buy his water from.
Despite the capital cost, perhaps ultimately what is needed is a national grid of water supply - if they can supply gas nationally, then they can supply water from where it is plentiful to other parts of the country where it is needed.
And at last the customer would have a choice of company to buy from.
Of course he is correct the water resourses were sold off by the Thatcher government and now their key criterion is to produce dividends for their shareholders instead of providing a continuing and improved means of supply of water to the population. The main difference between gas and water is weight, water is much heavier and hence requires vastly more energy to pump it through a grid system so it will be expensive to install and run and that will need to be paid for. However as it's the one resource than we cannot live without I believe it should be a key priority for this and successive governments to complete such a project. It is ridiculous that we live on such a water rich island and yet a large part of the population are subjected to water rationing because that what this is.
The water table in some parts of The UK has been severly altered by this practice....the water goes straight into the drains instead of the earth.
May I ask any of you who are considering having your garden paved over to consider the options to use a system which allows rain water back into the ground....I believe there are special bricks which will allow this as well as the possibility of gullies etc.
Besides, it keeps the soil/clay around your home moist, which in turn helps to prevent subsidence.
The other problem this causes is that when we do have rain storms the water has nowhere to go and at leat in our case floods the road.
not saying its easy, but take into account the profits of these water companies a few more gangs on the streets would help, i read the other day that Southern Water alone lose millions of litres a day due to underground poorly maintained water mains, its not all down to ground movement !!!
We're a fricking island surrounded by water. If the water companies invested in drastically reducing leakage, invested in systematically improving the infrastructure and storage capacity and invested in desalination plants around the coast, we would never be in a 'drought' situation again.
And when I say 'invest' I mean borrow the money, just as every other business in this world has to do to fund improvements in delivering it's product to the end user - and not by charging the end user to provide the funds for that investment.
In some circumstances - water supply being the primary one - state ownership is a must. Energy, water and transport should all be in state hands and not there for private profit.
Not when you look at how much the feckin trains cost anyway.
Next door they pay £80 per month (a couple in their 60s).
Sorted
Surprise, surprise now we have a shortage and probable price increases....
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2012/03/from-unacceptable-to-intolerable.html
In contrast to (say) Council Tax it doesn't seem too bad...
SW a special case obviously, but £80 a month is crazy/scary