Ofwat Water warns Folkestone and Dover Water must take more action to avoid future supply problems
A new report from Ofwat (The economic regulator for the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales) has said that Folkestone and Dover Water need to improve their water supply position. They plan to do this through a combination of measures including better leakage control, investment in new resources and encouraging more efficient use of water by customers.
Price limits announced last year by Ofwat will enable water companies which face problems to carry out an investment programme worth nearly £1.7 billion to safeguard future water supplies. Ofwat expects that by 2010 each company will have an adequate supply to meet customer demands, even in a dry year.
Folkestone and Dover is currently awaiting a government decision on its application for water scarcity area status, which would enable it to introduce compulsory metering to reduce demand.
Philip Fletcher, Director General of Water Services, said:
"We will want to ensure that increased metering of household supplies is part of a cost effective programme of measures. If customers pay for the water they use they will have an incentive to save both water and money."