We work with, and sometimes against, the Environment Agency. We spend much time informing customers of their rights. From 1st April 2000, we are all entitled to a free water meter. The Government, for once, has loaded the arrangement in favour of the customer. If you don t like the meter once its been installed, you can revert back to the rateable system in the first year.
Water companies are monopoly suppliers.
We can t shop around. The key point I want to get across today is fairness of treatment . We have a ridiculous situation at present where the average water bill can vary from 70 to 170. Quality of service is a key issue, both in terms of security of supply and water quality. People should be adequately warned and adequately compensated.