15 January 2009
A water company is proposing the installation of trickle meters in the homes of people who avoid paying their bills.
According to the BBC, Anglian Water is lobbying the government for a change in the law to allow the devices to be used in the homes of customers who refuse to pay.
The supplier said it is happy to work with households that are having trouble meeting bill payments and insisted it is those who can afford to pay but who choose not to that it wants to tackle.
"At the moment, there's no incentive for them to pay because the law says we can't cut them off," said a spokesman for the company.
Trickle meters limit the supply of water to a home, causing inconvenience since sinks, baths and toilet cisterns take longer to fill.
Anglian Water claims customer bills have had to rise by around £11 each because of the refusal of some households to pay.
The company serves 2.6 million households across East Anglia and the East Midlands, supplying over one billion litres of water a day.