With Thames Water lifting their hosepipe ban, Mayor Boris Johnson has been urged to get London’s other water companies to lift their hosepipe bans as well. This will stop a patchwork of water restrictions being in force across the capital.
The Mayor of London is meeting with the water companies on Friday. Labour’s Environment Spokesperson, Murad Qureshi, has written to the Mayor urging him to seize this opportunity and get the companies to trade water between themselves to end the patchwork hosepipe ban.
In Greater London there are four water companies providing Londoners with their water: Thames Water, Veolia Water Central, Essex & Suffolk Water and Sutton & East Surrey Water. Thames Water will be lifting its hosepipe ban, but Veolia Water Central and Sutton & East Surrey Water will not. As a result large areas of London will still be subject to the ban (see attached map).
Labour’s Environment Spokesperson at City Hall, Murad Qureshi, said: “With the wettest drought on record now officially over we have to make sure that Londoners are not subjected to a post-code lottery when it comes to the hose pipe ban.”
“The Mayor is meeting with all the water companies on Friday, I am urgently asking him to use his position to stand up for Londoners and get the water companies to share their supplies so that we can resolve this situation. They need to trade water to avoid a postcode lottery in London”
“Most Londoners will have restrictions on water use lifted. However, parts of London covered by other water companies including Barnet, Hillingdon and Sutton will still face restrictions and could face fines. We will be in the ludicrous position where people living on neighbouring streets will get a different service.”
“Londoners shouldn’t be subject to a postcode lottery, the water companies should be working together to find a solution. One way forward would be for Thames Water and Veolia to “trade water” between themselves, so that areas dependent on groundwater supplies can also have the hose-pipe ban lifted. Some of this ‘water-trading’ already happens between water companies, why not do so again now?”
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