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United Utilities End Hosepipe Ban

United Utilities have announced that they are lifting the hosepipe ban from Thursday 19th of August following recent rainfall enabling water stocks to be replenished. The hosepipe ban was put in place on July 9th after the driest December to June for more than 70 years. Good rainfall between July and August has enabled the […]

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This Year’s Hosepipe Ban – The Facts

Please note this post refers to events in 2010. For information on 2012 view our home page or here: http://www.hosepipeban.org.uk/2012/03/14/hosepipe-ban-restrictions-2012/ We’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding the hosepipe ban recently put in place by United Utilities. The most popular question is along the lines of “what can I and can’t I use the […]

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Hosepipe Warning This Summer

The Environment Agency is warning residents in the North West of England that the area is at risk of drought unless there is substantial rainfall in the next two months. Reservoirs in the region are expected to fall further than their already low levels during July and August. “Environmental damage” is also a risk in […]

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Water Bills 2009/2010

The average household water and sewerage bill across England and Wales is set to rise by 1.1 per cent above inflation in 2009/10. In 2004, Ofwat set limits on the prices water and sewerage companies could charge customers between 2005 – 10. The rises for this year will come into effect on 1 April 2009 […]

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CCW Take On Water Bills Rise

Water bills across England and Wales are set to rise by an average of 4.1 per cent including inflation, increasing the average bill to £342 a year (see table for each company’s average bill increase). Because of the way that water prices are set, these price increases were agreed by the regulator, Ofwat, back in […]

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Water Quality Standards met by 96 per cent of England’s swimming spots

Ninety-six per cent of England’s bathing waters met the minimum water quality standards set by the European Bathing Water Directive this year and 65.7 per cent met the highest guideline standards according to tests carried out by the Environment Agency. Other results this year show: Of the 414 bathing waters in England, 398 met the […]

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Review of water markets publishes interim report

The interim report by Professor Martin Cave into competition and innovation in water markets is published today. The report sets out Professor Cave’s recommended measures for increasing retail competition in the water industry which could benefit customers and the economy by up to £600 million over the next 30 years and deliver considerable environmental and […]

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Water Competition Must Benefit Customers

The Consumer Council for Water today (18 November) welcomed the recommendations put forward in Martin Cave’s interim report on competition in the water industry, and is echoing the call to get competition right for business customers first. Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Competition to date has not served business […]

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Water Companies Need To Be More Efficient

Ofwat today announced targets for water companies to increase water efficiency savings by 40 per cent from 2010 – a response to lacklustre performance by some companies on helping their customers use water more wisely. The regulator is demanding that water companies help customers save at least 23 million litres of water a day (Ml/d), […]

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Ofwat Says No To Company’s Price Rise

Ofwat has provisionally decided not to allow Sutton and East Surrey Water to raise its prices by an average of 10.2% before inflation in 2009-2010.

The application would have resulted in more than 250,000 consumers having a significant increase in their water bills. Ofwat’s draft decision means the prices the company can charge will remain unchanged.

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Tendring Hundred Water Fined £42,000

Ofwat today confirmed that it has fined Tendring Hundred Water a total of £42,000 for failing to provide the regulator with reliable, accurate and complete information. The fine has been confirmed following Ofwat’s proposal to fine the company in August 2008, following an accounting error that led to the company misreporting information in its June […]

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Latest News Water Saving Tips

CCW Offers Water Saving Tips

In support of Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Saving Week (20 to 26 October) the Consumer Council for Water is encouraging consumers to take a look at where they may be wasting water, energy, and therefore money around the home.

Around three quarters of a household’s energy use relates to heating and hot water use, for example, in baths or showers or for washing clothes or dishes.

By cutting water wastage through the following easy steps, families should see a reduction in their energy bill, and those who are charged for their water by meter should see a reduction in their water bill as well.

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Small Number of Water Companies Creating Rise in Complaints

A report released today (Tuesday 9 September) by the Consumer Council for Water reveals that specific problems within a few water companies caused an 11 per cent rise in complaints last year, while complaints to many other water companies either remained steady or fell.

Difficulties with the introduction of a new billing system led to a 155 per cent increase in complaints to Southern Water. Complaints to Anglian Water went up by 56 per cent, also because of trouble with the introduction of a new billing system, and South East Water saw complaints rise by 55 per cent on top of already high complaint figures.

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Ofwat Proposes to Fine Tendring Hundred

Ofwat today published its proposals to fine Tendring Hundred 0.3% of its turnover – a total of £42,000 – for failing to provide the regulator with reliable, accurate and complete information.

In September 2006 (PN 26/06) Ofwat published details of the accounting error that led to the company misreporting information in its June return 2006.