Water Company Warns Customers

Councillor Phil Bateman,is Chairman of the Customer Consultative Committee of South Staffordshire Water.

South Staffordshire Water is warning its customers not to use garden water sprinkler systems this summer if they don’t have a water meter.

Using powers under the Water Industry Act the Company will compulsory fit a water meter to household properties where a sprinkler is in use in order to force customers to pay fairly for their high water usage.

Whilst South Staffs will pay for the meter and its installation, it is urging customers to reassess the way they use water and should consider the alternatives to a sprinkler.

Phil Bateman, Chairman of the South Staffs Water Customer Consultative Committee, said ‘Water is a precious resource, all households should think carefully how they use it. ‘

‘The summer months are times of high demand for water, mainly due to increased garden activity and in particular garden sprinklers.’

‘Leaving a sprinkler running for one hour can use 1,000 litres of water, sufficient to supply an average family of four for two days’

‘Metering is the fairest way of charging those customers who wish to use large volumes.’

There are many alternatives if customers want to water their garden and not use a sprinkler at all, such as:
Install a water butt to collect rainwater for use on the garden
Use a watering can. Water can then be targeted directly at the roots

There is no need to water your lawn, grass will soon recover with the first heavy rainfall.

For details on saving water visit www.south-staffs-water.co.uk


Note to editors
1. South Staffordshire Water serves large parts of the Black Country, including Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley, together with areas such as Tamworth, Burton, Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield and Cannock. In total, the Company serves a population of 1.2 million. The Company supplies 330 million litres of water every day across a network of pipes that total 6,000 km in length.