[Acrylic-bob]

Certain parts of our soggy, green and pleasant land are, surprisingly, facing the second year of a drought. Indeed so serious has the situation beome that some parts of the South East are said to have less supplies of drinking water per capita than Morocco!

The solution proposed by the Water Companies is to apply to the government for permission for compulsory installation of water meters. Which means that they can charge for every drop used and rake in bundles of extra revenue.
For once, it is single people and pensioners, who use much less water, who will benefit through lower bills. Dover and Folkestone Water, the first company to be granted permission to install water meters, says that this is a fairer way to pay for water; those who use most, pay most. And I have to say that, in principle, I am in broad agreement with the idea. But that is not how it will work in practice, is it? Low income families with herds of kids, who use water as though it merely fell from the heavens, will be on the recieving end of state assistance, as usual. And, as usual, it is every one of us who will end up paying through the nose, via taxation, for their profiligate use of an increasingly precious resource.

What is worse, there will be no additional responsibility placed on the water companies to ensure that they collect more rain in future or that they repair the leaking infrastructure of water mains to prevent a widening of this ludicrous situation.