Being able to switch water supplier is something that commercial companies can do in a way that ordinary consumers can’t. This simple fact is something that firms should value not just in theory, but in practice.
For commercial entities, it means you can change to something better if there is a cheaper deal on offer and a more reliable supplier.
You don’t want to have a supplier that suffers regular failures to deliver clean water, for example, as this may damage your business due to a lack of water supply, whether that is water used in making products, or watering plants – should your firm be agricultural, horticultural or a sports ground needing to maintain the grass.
The importance of this can be seen from the kind of frustration suffered by domestic consumers who can be impacted by persistent shortcomings in supply while also being faced with significant hikes in their bills.
How One Burst Pipe Deprived Seven Villages Of Water
In the former case, residents of seven villages in Kent have been enduring days without water following a burst pipe. South East Water is responsible for the pipe, but has not managed to fix the problem. The problem was made more severe by the fact that the burst pipe flooded a water station.
South East Water has apologised for the situation and managed to restart its water treatment works, but that sort of sentiment is cold comfort for consumers left without water in the villages of King’s Hill, Wateringbury, West Kingsdown, Borough Green, Hadlow and Five Oak Green.
In some of the villages, bottled water stations had to be set up, while bottled supplies were delivered directly to care homes.
However, some residents have turned up to stations and found no bottles there. This was the experience of Yalding resident Sarah Brooks, who told the BBC: “I’ve got two kids – we’ve got no water for washing up, drinking, flushing toilets or having showers as much as the kids might like it.”
Thankfully, supplies have now started to be reconnected, but the dismay of some has been apparent. Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, incident manager Mark Swanley admitted it had taken “loo long” to fix the problem.
Promises Made Too Late?
According to South East Water, the company is investing heavily in its infrastructure, fixing more leaks and improving its treatment works. However, it also acknowledged that with the south east being “one of the most water-stressed areas of the country,” there is a lot more work needed.
Ongoing works include extensive new pipe laying and a new water treatment plant near Aylesford, all of which should help improve matters. However, many will ask how and why things got to the point where one burst pipe could leave thousands of people without water for days.
To some, this kind of question might be part of a wider query into the state of UK infrastructure, following the fire at an electricity substation in west London that cut off power to 16,000 homes and shut down Heathrow Airport for a day.
Such incidents do more than just inconvenience householders (or, indeed, airline passengers). They also cost businesses money. Any commercial water user with a supply cut off for days may suffer a great loss of production or be unable to tend to their horticultural assets. The latter situation may cause a particular crisis in hot, dry weather.
That is a reason for it being more important for commercial users to be able to change. The costs can be ruinous and therefore, the imperative is greater for businesses to be able to hold the feet of such firms to the fire.
Investing in new water facilities is going to cost a lot and consumers will feel the pinch. Higher bills are on the way for customers across the country with the promise that, in return, people will at least get better facilities, secure supplies, fewer leaks and a huge reduction in pollution incidents.
How Badly Water Firms Are Failing
However, the reality is that a vast number of failings by water companies have represented major rule breaches. Statutory responsibilities already in place were breached 3,100 times in England and Wales last year, the i newspaper has reported, following a Freedom of Information request to the Environment Agency.
This was up from 2,100 in 2023 and is the highest figure on record, with offenses including not just sewage dumping in dry weather, but also failures to maintain and improve wastewater infrastructure and undue delays in reporting incidents.
It may be hoped that the new Water (special measure) bill that passed through Parliament last year will make a major difference, but it is clear that promises of new investment do not excuse the fact that water companies have failed in their legal duties under existing legislation.
