THE DRIVERS STILL WASHING THEIR CARS

Business still brisk for some cleaning services despite drought restrictions

THE car wash trade is showing little sign of drying up despite an appeal for people to conserve water.

With a traditional car wash using multiple litres per wash, there is growing concern that millions of

litres of water are being wasted in this way.

Commercial operations such as car washes are, so far, exempt from the hosepipe ban that has been extended across the country since last Friday. One

car wash in Offaly visited by the Irish Daily Mail remained as busy as ever, despite the public being urged to restrict their water use.

‘We have been very busy all weekend, it was a little quiet during the week but business picked up when people had time to come in and get their car washed,’ the owner of the car wash said yesterday.

Business at Galway’s Autopoint car wash remained brisk, too, despite some customers staying away. ‘We have been busy this weekend but some regular customers are choosing to not have their car washed due to the restrictions and that is their choice,’ a spokesman told the Mail. ‘For those customers who came in, they were very happy to have their car washed, so it’s up to each individual really if you want to abide by the water restrictions or not.’

There was a more noticeable trend towards not getting car washes in Dublin. The Express car wash in Dublin said yesterday that it had seen a 30% decline in business due to the hot weather.

‘It’s a worry for us as I have people to employee,’ owner Luigi said. ‘They all have families to feed and if people don’t come and get their car wash there will be no money for me to pay the workers.’

Last week, the Irish Car Wash Association called on the Government and Irish Water to crack down on unauthorised car washes following the period of exceptionally dry weather the country has been experiencing.

Car-wash operators are supposed to have a special licence that shows they manage their water and waste water effectively.

According to ICWA spokesman David Blevings, unregulated car washes can contribute to a large volume of water wastage.

‘A report commissioned in 2004 estimated that there are up to 3,000 unregulated washes throughout the country and with each wash using up to 150 litres for every wash, an unregulated wash can easily exceed 1.5million litres of water per annum,’ he said.

The ICWA said that requiring individuals to hold licences to operate car washes would ensure that car washes were registered, using water correctly and efficiently. It would also oblige car washes to dispose of waste water under the proper guidelines.

Eco Car Wash in Dublin, which says it uses as little as three litres to wash a car, told the Mail it has seen a ‘big increase’ in business since water restrictions were put in place this week.

One worker said that there had been a lot of weekend bookings, as many of the regular car washes across the city weren’t operating.

‘The water restrictions have been good for our business as we do not use [tap] water to wash the cars. We are an eco-friendly car wash so we have seen an increase in the number of cars being booked in,’ said one employee.

But not all car-wash operators are happy with the current shortages, as it has hit some businesses. One man from Mountmellick, Co. Laois, who runs a car-valeting service, said he had seen eight cancellations over the past week. ‘People did not want rainwater used on their cars for a wash, so they cancelled the job,’ he said

The growing divide over whether drivers should avoid car washes comes only days after controversy erupted over Lidl’s decision to sell 7,500-litre swimming pools in its supermarkets last Thursday.

A number of stores around the country saw queues form before opening at 8am as people desperately tried to buy pools. Meanwhile, other people took to RTÉ Radio 1’s Liveline to criticise the supermarket’s decision to sell them during a drought.

The Irish Farmers’ Association has described the ongoing drought as a ‘once-in-a-generation weather event’ that will lead to significant crop losses. IFA president Joe Healy said the drought is ‘posing really difficult challenges for farmers, who rely on rainfall for grass and crop growth’.

He said: ‘The situation is particularly urgent for tillage and vegetable farmers, with weather conditions at this critical period seriously impacting on yields which will compound the income crisis they are already facing.

‘Unfortunately, crop losses look inevitable, with farmers facing a situation where vegetables are not growing, winter crops in the ground are stressed and spring crops planted about eight weeks ago have not had any rain since.’

Met Éireann has said hot weather is expected for the rest of the week, with light showers expected in some areas on Wednesday and Friday.

30% decline in business at one Dublin car wash

IT doesn’t feel right in certain respects to draw attention to the downside of the glorious weather we are enjoying, especially as it is long overdue. But there is no escaping the reality that the water crisis is a growing concern.

Reports indicate that drought conditions could continue for another fortnight or longer. There are also fears that beneficial effects from the hosepipe ban may not be seen during that timeframe.

According to Irish Water, the situation remains under review and further restrictions may be brought in. The current situation is that businesses are exempt from the ban.

As the Irish Daily Mail reports today, there is a geographical variance in how car washes are being affected. Some Dublin operators say business is down by around 30% during the dry spell; in other parts of the country, there has been no difference at all.

Anyone choosing to get their car cleaned is perfectly within their rights to do so. But given that a gleaming car is hardly an essential requirement for anyone but topof-the-range chauffeurs, it does seem like a less than civic-minded option for the vast majority of motorists.

Figures show that only around one-third of the water supply in Ireland goes towards domestic use. So, if the current conditions continue, it seems a very real possibility that restrictions will also have to be introduced for commercial enterprises.

No one, least of all this newspaper, disputes that a car wash brings in vital revenue on the forecourt of the average filling station. It would be unfair to impose financial hardship on the people running these businesses. Nor should it be forgotten, though, that we have just had the driest June for more than 75 years. That has to be borne in mind as well.

Accordingly, the Government needs to think seriously about extending the temporary ban to car washes and other providers of non-essential water services. But the operators should be recompensed with a small grant to tide them over until our normal weather resumes.

Such a move may sound out of kilter with the usual relationship between our political leaders and the private sector. But the bottom line is that extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.