Water companies taking us for a ride
ARE our water companies taking us customers for a ride relating to the water shortages and burying their heads in the sand and hoping that the meteorologists are wrong in predicting that with the climate change there will be less rainfall in south east England?
They now advise us that with a dry summer and winter last year they had noticed that the level waters in our underground storage in Friston Forest were diminishing and not being replaced from rainfall, but did nothing about obtaining supplies from other companies to keep it at a reasonable level.
All we keep hearing from water company spokesmen is that they are reducing the leaks from Victorian piping.
That is great news!
As I understand it there is a network of piping in position around the company in order to provide excess water from wet areas.
I understand from family and friends living in the West Country and North Wales there is a surplus of water which could be piped along to neighbouring areas suffering a shortage.
It appears that South East Water are reluctant to connect pipes from this area as it would have a detrimental effect on their £200 million profit going to a French company that owns it.
Our water supply and waste waster supply bills keep increasing but we don’t seem to be getting the service we should expect.
Now is the time to act about providing water supply piping to this area from other parts that have plentiful.
With all the building of new homes in and around Eastbourne needing supplies if water, one wonders what thought has been given by our local planners in giving a green light to further development or are they only thinking of the extra income through the community charge on the properties?
As we are surrounded by water an investment in a desalination plant on the coast would help solve our water problems, perhaps on the land adjacent to Newhaven Harbour which is closed to the public.
Our local council leaders and Members of Parliament must exert continued pressure on our water suppliers to start now to obtain additional supplies.
Next year will be too late. Alternatively we could deduct 10 per cent from the companies’ bills, hitting them where it hurts.
Our waste water is pumped from the Southern Water pumping station along Prince William Parade is discharged into the sea some three miles off shore.
Some companies refilter waste water until it is pure to be reused.
Couldn’t Southern Water erect equipment there to do this.
PJ BARKER,
Windermere Crescent.
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Weather for Eastbourne
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
