How can Britain run out of water? Gentleman Tommy Hotel etiquette
THE water companies are forecasting shortages and some areas are facing hosepipe bans. The blame is put on the lack of rainfall during the heatwave, while water losses through leaks are played down. Water storage capacity in the UK is finite: once it is gone, it is gone. Unlike gas and electricity, where supplies can be brought in from outside the country, there is no Plan B for water. The solutions are equally obvious: increase water catchment and storage to match every new home, or planning permission should be refused. Water usage depends not on the number of houses, but the number of people in each home. Setting a water limit for each dwelling is another poll tax in waiting. Water losses through leaks will only be cut if the bosses’ salaries and bonuses are cut proportionately. It’s time for the water companies to get a grip and stop blaming the consumers for problems of their own making. How many reservoirs have been drained by water companies, with the land sold off for housing? What was the total water capacity ten years ago and 20 years ago; and what was the population in those decades? This will highlight how little slack there is due to a rising population and reduced water capacity. There is only so much that consumers can do to mitigate usage, such as using washing-up water in the garden and not running the tap while brushing your teeth. Lots of water is lost by letting the hot tap run to waste until it is at the desired temperature. We should never forget that water is the most important nutrient of life.
JAMES WIGNALL, Accrington, Lancs. THIS summer, I think we can all agree everyone else should use less water.
rOBIN COLLIEr, Formby, Merseyside. IF WE all comply with the water companies’ request to use less water, will they feel obliged to lower our bills?
ALAN BrOWN, Walsall, W. Mids. HAVE the water firm fat cats thought about how all the new homes are going to be provided with water? We do not have a shortage of water in the UK, just a shortage of ways of capturing and distributing it. Companies will get millions from billing new houses, but how many reservoirs have they built?
MIKE CATTErALL, Accrington, Lancs.