The privatised water industry is a legalised scam
by
In Cromwell Road, Whitstable, where I live, we have suffered a water leak in the street for over a year, about which I’ve complained to South East Water (the local water provider) several times. Still the water leak continues.
My husband complained recently as “shrubs” are now growing from the drains in the street where this water continually leaks. He was told by South East Water that an engineer had been sent out to check this but couldn’t tell where the leak was coming from and thought it could be waste water—and therefore Southern Water‘s responsibility. No further action was therefore taken by South East Water.
My husband explained that he is no water engineer, just a retired building contractor, but even he knows it can’t be foul water as there’s no smell and the leak flow is constant. He reminded South East Water that they are actually taking court action against us for withholding payment to Southern Water for the past 4 years in protest against the latter’s serious and serial criminal offences regarding sewage pollution, for which Southern Water gained a record £90m criminal fine in 2021. South East Water has the unfortunate responsibility for billing for Southern Water so they are the company taking us to court.
The Times newspaper has been following the court action (see: https://www.thetimes.com/…/i-will-fight-woman-faces… )
We informed South East Water that we would notify the press if nothing was done about the leak. South East Water then took action which resulted in a Southern Water engineer arriving to check the leak. He confirmed that this is definitely a freshwater leak, not waste water, and therefore South East Water’s responsibility. This was several weeks ago. Nothing has been done since then but the ‘shrubs’ growing out of the water surrounding the drains are now significantly bigger than in the footage and photos, and are now causing blockages.
Disgrace
The privatised water industry in this country is a disgrace—nothing more than a legalised scam. If South East Water do not deal with this leak soon, my husband and I will be boycotting payment to them, as well as to Southern, and at court I’ll be highlighting all these instances of failure—although the companies claim that the Water Industry Act rules that as water consumers have no contract with the companies, we have no consumer rights but a statutory obligation to pay them, no matter how inadequate their services are.
In spite of this, we now have boycott action in all 11 wastewater areas. It’s the only recourse we have to resist this intolerable situation of water wastage and sewage pollution. Shame on them. I’m therefore notifying the media today. My husband estimates the water loss is 3 litres per minute i.e. 1.5 million litres per year.
See www.boycottwaterbills.com.
Julie Wassmer is a Whitstable-based author, TV writer and environmental campaigner. She has successfully fought a number of environmental issues, including fracking in Kent and tree clearances by Network Rail. Her Whitstable Pearl crime novels are now a major TV series, starring Kerry Godliman.
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