Thursday 7 February 2008

Ignoring its own analysis, the Government has put off action in favour of yet another review.

"In October of last year, Environment Minister Phil Woolas stated that the 'case for universal metering is now overwhelming,'" said Tom Le Quesne WWF-UK water policy advisor.

"WWF welcomes the strategy's direction of travel and its recognition of the seriousness of the challenge we face. But this U-turn on universal water metering represents a clear failure of political will. The drought of 2006 was a wake-up call that the Government seems intent on ignoring," he added.

Pay for what you use
WWF believes that paying for water on the basis of how much we use is both fairer and more sustainable as it introduces a financial incentive to save water. Defra's recent Water Strategy says that fitting a meter can reduce household water consumption by about 10%.

Many of our most-loved rivers are already being chronically damaged by over-abstraction, and some even run completely dry. Climate change and increasing demand on our water resources will only increase this pressure. The UK is almost alone among European nations in not having universal water metering.

WWF's 2007 report Waste Not, Want Not demonstrated that the introduction of water metering could significantly reduce water use while protecting vulnerable customers.

Le Quesne added, "Why should those who use water wisely pay the same as those who are wasteful? We believe it is possible to design tariffs that target inefficient and wasteful consumption and provide incentives for green living while ensuring that the poorest customers do no lose out."