‘If there’s a scarcity, the primary invoice ought to land on the businesses losing the water – not onerous working households’
Families should not be punished for failures they did not cause. Before companies reach for “surge pricing”, they should be forced to fix the network they already charge us to maintain
Voice of the Mirror has its say…
Water joke
Water companies have spent decades telling households to use less while billions of litres disappear every day through their own leaking pipes. Now, with nearly 30 million people facing hosepipe bans after an exceptionally dry summer, ministers are backing plans that could let suppliers charge customers more when water is scarce.
That would be galling enough without the 2.95 billion litres of treated water lost every day because of poor pipes and crumbling infrastructure.
Families should not be punished for failures they did not cause. Before companies reach for “surge pricing”, they should be forced to fix the network they already charge us to maintain. Feargal Sharkey is right to call this what it is: rewarding failure.
The industry has already tested public patience, awash with sewage scandals, executive rewards and, most recently, Thames Water’s £1 million golden hello for its finance chief.
If there is a shortage, the first bill should land on the companies wasting the water, not the customers themselves.
Tragedy
There are moments when disagreements, accusations and reputations suddenly seem very small. The death of Professor Jason Arday at just 41 is one of them. Whatever questions surrounded his academic work, there are now two children grieving their father and a family trying to comprehend a devastating loss. That is the human tragedy which matters most.
In 24 hours, more than £100,000 has been raised to support his family, a remarkable show of compassion at an unimaginably painful time.
Professor Arday had spoken of the intense scrutiny and personal attacks he faced in recent months. There will be time to reflect on everything that happened before his death. For now, his young children deserve kindness, dignity and privacy as they mourn their dad.
Last man standing
Andy Roche has become the last man standing on a Rochdale estate where even the neighbours have packed up and left. After 28 years, he is understandably reluctant to budge for the bulldozers. Councillors may call it regeneration. Andy might call it the world’s slowest eviction notice by far.
