• Live in uk? One water company may be putting a trickle device on your taps.
    33 replies, posted
[quote]Water regulator Ofwat has backed plans to review whether water supplies should be limited in households in England and Wales that do not pay their bills. Homes could be fitted with valves restricting water to a trickle to help recover more than £1bn in unpaid bills. Water firms are currently not allowed to cut anyone off because water is considered an essential service. But Ofwat said that the idea of overturning a 1999 ban on trickle flow devices should be examined. 'Safeguards' Any change would require government legislation. Trickle devices would leave households with enough to drink, but not enough water for a shower. However the body representing water customers said the move would be ineffective and "uncivilised". Bad debt adds about £11 a year to each customer's bill. The Walker Interim review into the sector proposed looking at removing the ban on trickle-flow devices. Ofwat said it supported this action, "as long as appropriate safeguards are in place to protect consumers". "We believe we need to obtain satisfactory information on the costs, benefits and practical implications of trickle-flow devices," the regulator added. "The companies' implementation plans would need to protect the most vulnerable customers and those who cannot pay." 'Sanitation implication' The Consumer Council For Water, which represents water users, said the devices would not help raise substantial revenue. "The problem of debt in the water industry is one that has to be tackled, but we don't think this is the way forward," said policy director Andy White. "Turning back the clock and going to things such as trickle flow in the current society is inappropriate." While people would have enough to drink, there were implications for sanitation and bathing, Mr White said. "Even if the water companies were able to identify with 100% clarity which customers were 'can't pay' and which were 'won't pay', that's not to say the kids of those 'won't pay' customers deserve to be in a household where water is reduced to a trickle. "It's not a particularly effective way of addressing the problem, nor is it civilised in our society." Mr White called on water companies to improve the way they dealt with customers instead, and to identify and help those who struggled with budgeting. This could include making it easy for people to pay water directly through benefit payments, he said. Many unpaid water bills came when people moved on from rented properties, leaving a debt behind them, Mr White added. "In those cases introducing trickle flow would be totally ineffective." [/quote] Source: [url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8306835.stm[/url] Thank fuck i live in the isle of man
This has just put a damper on my mood... Seriously though, "Trickle devices would leave households with enough to drink, but not enough water for a shower." Not enough for a shower? The fuck?
I really, really like the British water mind-reading device. Cited by many as the single most important influence on post modern micro eco compartmentalism, it is important to remember that ‘what goes up must come down.’ It still has the power to shock the easily lead, many of whom fail to comprehend the full scope of the British water mind-reading device.
[quote]Trickle devices would leave households with enough to drink, but not enough water for a shower[/quote] = Smelly people wandering around [img]http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1921/smelly.png[/img]
Good idea in theory, but the pikeys who refuse to pay their bills don't shower anyway.
[QUOTE=Maucer;17830152]= Smelly people wandering around[/QUOTE] = Pay your damn bills
Here if you don't pay the bills, you get water completely cut off for the rest of the month. That isn't a big problem since they sell bottled water around the corner store. You guys are even lucky you got water like that. Paying bills late woudn't have so much of consequences.
oh-oh, bad news
Luckily, my parents are rich :downs:
Yeah UK. We're in a damn recession; what's your excuse?
I think this is a bit extreme, but it will certainly get people to focus on paying what they need to pay. And water bills are really cheap, so it's not like it will be hard to stop spending money on other, unnecessary things in order to pay them off. The fact that there's no consequence at all for not paying one's water bill there seems like a bad idea to me, and this method, while harsh, will be very effective in getting people to pay them off.
[QUOTE=R2Bl3nd;17830689]I think this is a bit extreme, but it will certainly get people to focus on paying what they need to pay. And water bills are really cheap, so it's not like it will be hard to stop spending money on other, unnecessary things in order to pay them off. The fact that there's no consequence at all for not paying one's water bill there seems like a bad idea to me, and this method, while harsh, will be very effective in getting people to pay them off.[/QUOTE] In there (and I assume that in majority of world), you get your water cut off when you don't pay bills. Now, talk about extreme.
[QUOTE=The_Lizard_Xing;17830138]I really, really like the British water mind-reading device. Cited by many as the single most important influence on post modern micro eco compartmentalism, it is important to remember that ‘what goes up must come down.’ It still has the power to shock the easily lead, many of whom fail to comprehend the full scope of the British water mind-reading device.[/QUOTE] What?
Seems like a good idea to me. People need to pay their damn bills. If you don't, sure, then we won't dehydrate you to death but don't expect a shower or anything
[QUOTE=:smug:;17830256]Luckily, my parents are rich :downs:[/QUOTE] Are you gonna keep saying that until you're 70? (assuming you're not already)
Water is like five cents to a gallon how does that get you in debt
:rolleyes: Good luck gaining access to peoples houses.
Scotland gets water free :dance:
Over here they just shut off your various utilities (water, electricity, etc.) if you don't pay the corresponding bill. Consider yourselves lucky, UK.
[QUOTE=Watevaman;17831384]Consider yourselves lucky, UK.[/QUOTE] This. Even if you don't pay the bills you still get the bare essentials.
The UK water industry is nationalised, so it's not "one water company".
[QUOTE=Murkrow;17831187]Are you gonna keep saying that until you're 70? (assuming you're not already)[/QUOTE] im 14...
[QUOTE=:smug:;17830256]Luckily, my parents are rich :downs:[/QUOTE] -waits for recession to kick in-
This seems reasonable enough. I mean it probably won't get rid of all the debt, but at least it will annoy some people into paying.
Put a barrel on your roof and have the hose "trickling" into it all day. Use that to shower in the morning. Ha, beat the system.
Why is the UK going so crazy lately?
I don't really see a problem with this. Your gas, electricity, internet and phone are cut off if you don't pay the bills. With this, at least you still get water if you don't pay the bills, just not a lot.
[QUOTE=petieng;17831846]I don't really see a problem with this. Your gas, electricity, internet and phone are cut off if you don't pay the bills. With this, at least you still get water if you don't pay the bills, just not a lot.[/QUOTE] Your water isn't cut off in many places because it's an essential service.
[QUOTE=LSK;17831819]Why is the UK going so crazy lately?[/QUOTE] 1. This really isn't a crazy idea. 2. It's one water company suggesting this should happen, not a government legislation that's already been passed. This seems to be the case with the vast majority of "the UK's going crazy" news posts. One "expert" or MP suggests something should happen and suddenly everyone thinks the bill has already been written and it's just been passed through parliament.
[QUOTE=petieng;17831916] This seems to be the case with the vast majority of "the UK's going crazy" news posts. One "expert" or MP suggests something should happen and suddenly everyone thinks the bill has already been written and it's just been passed through parliament.[/QUOTE] Well still, first there was the thread about the food recycling and then this. To us outsiders, it looks kinda hectic over there.
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