3 April 2006
Hosepipe bans put in place by water companies throughout the south-east could have been avoided with better investment in infrastructure, according to a union.
The GMB, a UK general union, said that a low percentage of rainwater was collected and called on the regulator to take action to ensure this was changed.
Thames Water, Folkestone and Dover and Three Valleys Water have now placed water restrictions on domestic users.
Gary Smith, GMB national officer for the water industry, said that hosepipe bans and the installation of water meters dealt "with the symptoms of the problem of water shortage rather than the root causes".
"Not enough rainwater is collected and used," he said. "The rainwater is there. Even in the areas with least rainfall per person we are still using less then 10% of it.
"We need new reservoirs, particularly in the south of England. We need to change building regulations to ensure that rainwater falling onto houses is used for gardening and non-domestic uses."
Mr Smith also criticised water companies' record on tackling leaks in their networks.
"Due to leaks, water companies in some areas have to process 48 gallons of water per person per day to deliver the 35 gallons per day that are actually used by their customers. What a scandal that the regulator has allowed massive dividends to shareholders a higher priority than fixing these leaks," he argued.
"Since this industry was privatised some of the companies closed down storage reservoirs and sold off the land for housing. The regulator needs to examine how much asset stripping has gone on so that shareholders not householders pay the costs of replacing these reservoirs."
In response, the industry regulator Ofwat told the BBC that extra investment would result in higher bills and damage to the environment.
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