Lib Dems Condemn Water Leakage Whilst Bills Rise

4.50.26pm GMT Fri 3rd Nov 2006

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Janet Godden, is protesting at Thames Water's poor record on repairing old or broken pipes while they increase the bills for consumers and pay large dividends to their shareholders. In a motion to Tuesday's County Council meeting, Janet points out that total leakage from Thames Water's pipes is 1,000 million litres a day, but that total water savings from planned leakage control to 2010 is only 218 million litres a day.

Janet said, "We are all paying ever higher bills - including the County Council - but Thames Water is failing to meet its annual target for leakage reduction for the third year in succession and persisting in imposing a hosepipe ban on its customers. I think that the public has invested enough and shareholders have gained too much. OfWAT should be asked to impose a price freeze on Thames Water until they start to meet their, already very modest, targets."