FLAWED WATER METER POLICY LEAVES ELDERLY COUPLE OUT OF POCKET
An elderly Falmouth couple have reacted angrily to South West Water's demand for £2000 to install a water meter at their home, despite recent media coverage urging the public to have free meters put in their properties and help conserve water.
Cedric and Mercia Paterson, who live on Trelawney Road, pay almost £500 in annual water and sewerage charges.
"We have tried for a long time to get a water meter put in our home," explained Mr Paterson.
"This row of houses is on a shared pipe and it would mean digging up the road outside to create a separate supply for this property. SWW are not under an obligation to do this free of charge because it would be 'unreasonably' expensive for them to do the work - so it falls to us to pay £2000 if we want the meter."
Under current legislation if it is not possible for a water company to install a water meter they must offer customers' an assessed charge - a bill based on an estimate of water supply usage or what other metered customers in the area are paying.
Mr Paterson added: "We have an assessed bill and pay £100 a year less now. If we had a meter I am sure our bill would be half of what we are currently paying, but £2000 is too much for us to pay to get a meter put in."
Mr and Mrs Paterson invited Terrye Teverson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Truro and Falmouth, to their home to discuss what could be done to get a meter installed at their home.
"South West Water make massive profits year on year because customers in the region have the highest bills in the country." Mrs Teverson said.
"At a time when people are struggling financially and there is real concern about the environment it seems crazy that companies like SWW are not forced by the Government to install water meters in every home."
"Elderly couples like the Paterson's want to pay for the water they use not what SWW say they use. Surely having a meter would make people more aware of how much water they use - that has got to be better for the environment."
Mrs Teverson is meeting with SWW Chief Executive Chris Loughlin later this week and will highlight the problems Mr and Mrs Paterson are experiencing, as well as discussing unfair water bills in the south west.
She added: "Water bills are one of the biggest issues in Truro and Falmouth. Water privatisation by the Conservatives left us with the highest and most unaffordable water bills in the UK. We need radical change to give help to those families who are struggling to pay high water bills and a fair distribution of environmental cleanup costs across the whole country."