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GMB Want Public Control of Water Industry

GMB, the water workers union, plan to step up a campaign to secure a new ownership structure for the UK water industry that would lead to better value for consumers and open the way to develop new water supplies for London and the South East.

This coincides with a warning sounded by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), which produced a map showing hot-spots where the water available to each person was likely to be at a premium. There are fears that within 20 years a parched zone will spread across the country from the Bristol Channel to the Norfolk coast and north of the Midlands.

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Review of competition and innovation in water

The independent review of competition and innovation in the water industry, announced when the Government launched its new Water Strategy for England earlier this month, is to be led by Professor Martin Cave.

Confirming the appointment today in a speech to the Water UK City conference, Secretary of State Hilary Benn also published the review’s terms of reference.

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Ofwat protects customers as new bills go out

To protect essential water and sewerage services for consumers and safeguard the future of those services, bills in England and Wales will rise by a little more than inflation this year.

The average increase, which will vary from company to company, is 1.5% plus inflation at 4.3%. This means that the average household water and sewerage bill will rise by around £18 to £330 a year.

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Ofwat fines Southern Water £20.3 million

Ofwat today confirmed that it has fined Southern Water a total of £20.3 million for deliberately misreporting information and delivering poor service to customers.

Southern Water’s shareholders will bear the entire cost of this fine. It will not be passed on to its customers.

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Securing water for the future

Climate change means that we will all have to value water more as we find a fairer way of paying for it, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, said today as he launched the Government’s water strategy for England, Future Water.

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Ofwat responds to representations on Thames Water fine

Ofwat today set out in greater detail its reasons for proposing in September 2007 to fine Thames Water a total of £12.5 million.

The economic regulator has issued a ‘variation notice’ as an open, robust and transparent response to initial consultation which followed its original proposal to fine the company.

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Latest News Water Saving Tips

Save water in 2008

The Consumer Council for Water is calling for customers to create a splash in 2008 by making a positive impact on the planet and saving money, with a New Year’s resolution to save water.

Forget expensive gym memberships, long hours on the treadmill and the 10 pounds that just won’t budge. Those still searching for an easy resolution one can actually accomplish need look no further. Make a real impact, and possibly save some cash with these easy water saving tips.

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South East Water to replace Mid Kent Water

Ofwat has amended South East Water’s Conditions of Appointment to allow it to replace Mid Kent Water as the water service provider for nearly 250,000 customers in the Kent area.

This will give effect to the merger of South East Water and Mid Kent Water, which was cleared by the Competition Commission in May, and ensure that customers’ interests continue to be protected.

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Hosepipe Ban News Latest News

What We Think About The New Hosepipe Ban Rules

So at last we have an updating of the hosepipe ban laws that were first written in 1945. Perhaps a forward-thinking government would have had them in place in the spring of 2006 (or even 2004) when we really needed them rather than the Autumn of 2007 when they will only mean anything in the Spring of 2008? Environment Minister Phil Woolas is triumphant when he says “we have committed to bring in legislation which is bang up to date” – shame it’s effectively at least 2 years late Phil, but never mind.

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Hosepipe Ban News Latest News

New Hosepipe Ban Rules

The government has confirmed that the current hosepipe ban rules created in 1945 are to be updated. This is the full statement issued by the Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) this morning:

A 62 year old law governing the use of hosepipes in times of drought will be updated following a Government consultation, Environment Minister Phil Woolas confirmed today.

Publishing the consultation response, Mr Woolas said:

“After the appalling floods of 2007 it might be hard to cast your mind back to the real difficulties we faced only a year ago, when 13 million people were affected by hosepipe bans.

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Ofwat Say Water Supplies Secure

Customers can be assured that their water supplies are secure, according to Ofwat’s ‘Security of Supply 2006-07′ report published today.

The report looks at how well companies have managed to balance their supply of water against the demand by their customers in a way that ensures they meet their customers’ needs for a safe, secure and continuous water supply now and in the future.

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New Water Company

Ofwat has appointed a new water and sewerage company – the first new company to offer both services since privatisation – by granting its twelfth inset appointment.

Inset appointments allow for one supplier to be replaced by another for a specific geographical area.

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Thames Water to be fined again

Ofwat today published its proposals to fine Thames Water a total of £12.5 million.

The economic regulator plans to fine the company £11.1million (0.8% of 2006-07 turnover) for failing to provide it with robust information and £1.4million (0.1% of 2005-6 turnover) because poor processes and systems meant that customers received poor service. They also missed out on payments they were entitled to.

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Water Companies Invest

Water companies are continuing to invest to deliver environmental and water quality improvement, according to a report published by Ofwat today.

The Financial performance and expenditure of the water companies in England and Wales 2006-07 report provides a comparison between the industry’s actual performance over the last financial year and Ofwat’s expectations of when the price limits were set in 2004.