The Commission has been able to support thousands of public and private bodies in Britain not only in cash but also in kind in order to provide a more and more comprehensive and factual description of the European Union. This has been widely welcomed. We will continue to try to meet this rising tide. The Sun 2 August 2000 Dear Editor Homeowners will not be forced to install water meters by Brussels, despite The Sun's claims. It is up to each country to decide how water charges should be worked out.
Action is needed to tackle the amount of water being wasted.
Much of the press pack and their political fellow-travellers have been baying for blood over this matter for weeks. Trading standards officers have been labelled over-zealous jobsworths, but the onslaught has been reserved for the alleged diktats being imposed by Brussels. But the thrill of the hunt has blinkered them to the facts. It was the Wilson Government that made the decision in principle and initiated the UK's metrication programme in 1965, eight years before even joining the Community. This was in response to global moves in this direction - Ireland and all Commonwealth countries already having adopted the metric system.