Stan The Man wrote:
[...]
And so does
much of the water industry leakage which alone would supply over
one-third of all the nation's domestic needs.

Well, people voted for politicians who promised to privatise the
public's utilities. I have little sympathy for them.


But what really makes my blood boil is that all the evidence indicates
that hosepipe restrictions don't actually save water. Research by the
Environment Agency, the Water Research Centre, Southern Water and
others hasn't been able to prove that hosepipe bans save water. Some
of the research shows that water consumption actually goes up during a
hosepipe ban.

Well, I'd expect it to. Dry periods are when people are going to water
their gardens on top of all their normal water use. (They often don't
actually need to, of course.) I'm sure filling watering cans uses a lot
less water than walking round the garden holding a running hosepipe.


Other research shows that industrial users reduced their
consumption far more than domestic users despite the fact that the
industrial users weren't subject to any restrictions.

Except that they _are_ restricted in a sense: by having to pay water
bills based on metering. That seems to be one way of controlling
consumption. I imagine Sacha's business is on a meter, for example.

Anyway, the real reason for the water shortage in the south east isn't
the low rainfall because it has been just as low in other areas but
the water companies inability and unwillingness to invest in water
storage resources - combined with the Government's suicidal
house-building programme in the region.

That's perfectly true.
[...]

It's all spin and con and we just take it like sheep.

Yep. And anybody who takes an interest in politics is told he's being
boring.

--
Mike.