22 May 2006
Some families that are trying to combat the recent water shortages by requesting a water meter have to wait months before the device is installed in their homes, according to a report.
The Telegraph said that hundreds of thousands of customers around the country are waiting for the devices, which reduce household water usage by 10% on average.
Around a quarter of homes in England and Wales currently have the meters installed, which charge homes for the amount of water they use, rather than an estimate of their usage.
The paper said that Thames Water has told customers to wait at last three months before their properties can even be assessed for a water meter.
Thames Water recently declined to impose a drought order restricting the use of hose pipes further, despite low levels of reserves.
Wessex Water told the paper that it installed meters within 30 working days of receiving a request from one of its customers.
Sutton and East Surrey, which has chosen to impose the first drought order on UK customers for over a decade, declined to tell the Telegraph how long its customers had to wait for the installation of a water meter.
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