[jambutty]

With apologies to the Ancient Mariner.

So parts of the country have reached the state where stand pipes will be almost inevitable unless we, or rather they, conserve water. And more areas have had water usage restrictions placed upon the customers.

Why?

The water companies come up with a variety of excuses ranging from a dry winter 2 years running to customer wastage. Nothing about using some or even all of the excess profits and shareholder dividends though. Fat cat salaries and perks don’t get a mention and only lips service is paid to the billions of litres of clean water lost in leaks. During a news interview yesterday evening a Water Company had the cheek to state that it would be too expensive to replace all the leaky pipes. The mind boggles!

If there were little or no leakage there would not be a water shortage in certain areas but the god of money rules the water industry and profits come before service. So Joe Public bears the brunt of any restrictions whilst the money that we pay leaks away into the coffers of the select few.

I will not be restricting my water usage, mainly because I don’t waste any anyway and never have done. But then a few years on a post war warship teaches you that water is precious and once it has gone there ain’t no more until you hit port.

I can’t help feeling that some Water Companies are crying wolf to some extent and that there is a secret agenda to force every household to use water meters by law.

Living on my own as I do, (if you discount that spider in the shower room and the one that guards my back window) if I had a water meter, I would expect to save some £50 per year. What’s the betting that a metered water bill will not make such a large saving but a nominal ten or fifteen quid.