Latest news with #WessexWater
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Warning as 17 weeks of travel disruption expected when huge project gets underway
Drivers in Melksham and surrounding areas have been warned ahead of a 17-week project to overhaul the water network that will see traffic measures on the A365. Wessex Water is urging road users to consider the time needed for their journeys when a £500,000 investment to improve the water supply network near Melksham gets under way in September. A 17-week project to replace two sections of ageing water main on the A365 Bath Road, east of Bowerhill and within Sells Green, will begin on Monday, September 8. An initial phase of two-way traffic lights will be in place on a short section of the road at Sells Green, just east of Spout Lane, until Friday, September 19, with nearby bus stops suspended. (Image: Wessex Water) Suggested reading: Police ramp up bid to tackle anti-social behaviour in town Tesco plans to open new shop in town Police respond to 'disturbance in toilets' of town's shopping centre Then from Monday 22 September, two, three and four-way signals will be in place on the A365 at different times as the main replacement moves east to west from Sells Green to near the junction with Carnation Lane, just east of Bowerhill, until mid-December. A Wessex Water spokesperson said: 'This is an essential investment to improve water supply in the area and we're carrying out to try and reduce disruption as much as possible. 'The project will be completed under temporary traffic lights which, at certain locations, will be manually controlled to help reduce congestion and delays. 'We have written to customers, businesses and schools in the area to inform them about the work and apologise for any inconvenience caused. The project is expected to be completed by Friday 19 December.''
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wessex Water praised for no serious pollution incidents last year
Wessex Water has been commended for not causing any serious pollution incidents last year. The Environment Agency (EA) found the utility company was one of only two water and sewerage firms not to commit any major incidents in 2024. However, a 53 per cent increase in pollution incidents of lesser severity (category one to three) has been recorded for Wessex Water. This comes amid a wider critique of the water sector, with serious pollution incidents rising 60 per cent from 2023. The EA said it was aware of 75 major and significant incidents in 2024, up from 47 the previous year. Altogether, 2,801 incidents were recorded by water companies last year, up 29 per cent from 2023. The EA said persistent underinvestment in infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and climate change were reasons for the sector's poor performance. Despite this, the EA praised the positive efforts of Wessex Water. Ed Lockington, the EA's water industry regulation manager, said: "We're pleased to see that by not causing any serious pollution incidents last year, Wessex Water has met not just our expectation but the public's. "That is a high bar to maintain, but nothing less is acceptable for the environment we all rely on." However, Mr Lockington said Wessex Water still has room for improvement. He added: "It is disappointing to see its total number of pollutions rose by just over half - there is clearly more work to be done." The EA carried out 422 inspections of Wessex Water sites last year, 35 per cent more than targeted. The findings from these inspections are shared with the company to help focus efforts on improving its network, customer service, and environmental obligations. The EA stated that 24 per cent of sites breached their permits last year. The agency is clear that none of these factors, including wet weather, can excuse the high number of incidents last year. Water companies are required to meet their legal obligations to the environment and communities or face enforcement action. Alan Lovell, chair of the EA, said: "This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets. "The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does." The EA has more powers to take action against polluting companies under the Water (Special Measures) Act. To boost funding for water regulation, the EA is considering a levy on the water sector to recover the cost of enforcement activities. The act also requires companies to produce annual pollution incident reduction plans to address persistent problems and prevent future incidents.
Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Times
‘Getting a water meter cut my bill in half'
Soaring water bills led more than 100,000 homeowners to request water meters in the first four months of the year. Some suppliers said they had two or three times as many applications as they had in the first few months of 2024. Water bills are based on an archaic system that hasn't been updated since 1990 and many customers find that switching to a meter can cut their costs in half. United Utilities, which has 8 million customers across the North West of England, said there had been 44,640 applications for water meters between January and April, up from 23,176 last year. Wessex Water, which has 2.9 million customers across the South West, said it has had 8,000 applications since sending out annual bills in February — double the number it had between February and July last year. The Consumer Council for Water, a watchdog, said that three other big suppliers had almost 75,000 meter applications between them from January to April, up from about 42,000 last year. The council has a calculator on its website that allows you to work out if a water meter will save you money — 312,630 used it between February and June, up from 111,763 over the same months last year. Tim Clarke from the Consumer Council for Water said: 'Suppliers appear to have had unprecedented interest in water meters as customers look for ways to combat the largest increase in bills since privatisation.' Average annual water and sewage bills went up 26 per cent in April to £603 — the biggest rise since 1989, according to Water UK, a trade association. And bills are set to keep on rising for the next five years after the heavily indebted water companies struck a deal with the water regulator, Ofwat, to fund infrastructure improvements. There is unlikely to be any respite even after that. Water companies are under huge pressure from politicians and campaign groups to cut down on sewage leaks that have led to pollution of rivers and seas. The Environment Agency said there were a record 2,801 pollution incidents caused by water companies in England last year, including 75 which posed 'serious or persistent' harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health. This was a 60 per cent rise on the 2,174 in 2023. With a water meter, you pay for the water you use, and some fixed charges for sewage and infrastructure. If you don't have a water meter, your bills are usually, and rather bizarrely, based on your home's rateable value — an estimation made some time between 1967 and 1990 of how much it could be rented out for. Once you have a meter, your bills are based on your previous year's usage. If you think you have been overcharged, you can challenge your direct debit payments. As with energy bills, you should not need to always be in credit because your usage can vary throughout the year. • Water companies 'to impose surge pricing' in summer Households with a meter use about 29 per cent less water than those without one on average, according to Discover Water, an information site run by industry bodies such as Water UK and Ofwat. This is probably because those who choose a meter use less water in the first place and are then more conscious of their usage. The general rule of thumb is that you will save money having a water meter installed if there are more bedrooms in your home than people. The Consumer Council for Water said that those whose bills were lower after getting a meter saved an average of £150 a year. If your home is suitable, it costs nothing to get a water meter and your supplier has to fit it within 90 days. You usually have the right to switch back to unmetered bills within two years, but this varies between suppliers. Victoria Larkou hadn't given much thought to getting a water meter until her supplier, Affinity Water, suggested it, but 18 months after switching her bills have halved. Larkou, 50, from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, had a meter put in to her four-bedroom house where she lives with her husband Athos, 47, and daughter Tillie, 21 in 2023. 'We probably wouldn't have done it of our own volition,' said Larkou, a saleswoman for an anaesthetic company. 'Maybe it's through being too lazy, but it's the sort of thing you put off because you think it will be a pain.' Before the meter was installed they paid £58 a month, £696 a year — £248 more than the average bill in 2023-24. In 2024-25, their first full billing year with a meter, they paid £29 a month — saving £348 a year. They used 278 litres a day, 6.4 per cent below the 297-litre average for similar households, according to Affinity. 'I'm not going to be going on holiday with the savings, but it's the sort of thing that you think was definitely worth doing,' Larkou said. The share of households with a water meter in England and Wales went from 58.4 per cent in the 2020-21 financial year to 62.7 per cent in 2023-24, according to the Consumer Council for Water. Most of those households without a meter are likely to be on the rateable value system. If you cannot have a meter fitted, because you live in a block of flats with a shared water supply, for example, you can ask to be moved off the rateable value system to an assessed volume charge. This is where your fixed bill is based on how many people live in your household and how big it is. In the past, water companies have pushed their customers to have meters installed because they say they can help to detect leaks and encourage lower usage. If you are a high water user, you probably shouldn't get a meter. Tom MacInnes from the charity Citizens Advice said: 'Switching to a water meter can be a great way for people to only pay for what they use, but it isn't always a practical or cheaper option. While water meters can help some to save money, they are not a silver bullet and we know many people will find it hard to afford their bills regardless.'
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Why a hosepipe ban is not needed in most of Wiltshire
While millions of people in England are being asked to limit their water usage, some areas look unlikely to get a hosepipe ban.A Thames Water ban will come into force in parts of Wiltshire on 22 July - but how is it that most neighbouring residents will be unaffected?Wessex Water, which serves most of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, as well as parts of Dorset and Gloucestershire, has not introduced a hosepipe ban since said there were a number of factors at play, including the fact 75% of its water source came from groundwater, which it said was more resilient against dry weather. It also said a 30% reduction in leakage in the past 20 years had also contributed, with the company detecting and fixing 1,200 leaks every Saynor, head of water resources and supply strategy at Wessex Water, said the combination of people opting for water meters and the reduction in leaks had put it "in a strong position this summer, despite a 12% increase in population since 2000". "Groundwater and reservoir levels are lower than average at the moment, but we are not near the record low levels of 1976," he company said it was topping up streams and rivers with 90 million litres of water a day to help with flow and safeguard also said its investment of £230m in building a water supply grid, which allowed water to be transferred to areas where it was needed most, had also Wessex Water said it still needed customers to do their bit to protect its Barden, director of environmental solutions at the company, said: "If everyone continues to work with us and save water where possible, we can keep our rivers flowing and our wildlife healthy."
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Investors stripping cash from water firms ‘criminal' says ex-Wessex Water chief
The former chief executive of Wessex Water said investors stripping cash from water firms was 'criminal' at a conference debating the future of the sector. Colin Skellett, who helmed the south-west England utility from 1988 to 2024, argued against nationalising water companies because of the industry requiring 'continuous levels of investment'. He spoke as campaigners and experts urged the Government to explore public ownership during the UK River Summit in south London on Tuesday. Ministers have promised a 'fundamental reset' following years of companies paying out large dividend that diverted money away from infrastructure investment and maintenance, leading to sewage pollution and rising bills. However, they have ruled out nationalisation and instead are focusing efforts on tightening rules, increasing investment and strengthening penalties within the current system of regulated private firms. Speaking at the summit, Mr Skellett said he has seen the industry change since he joined it in 1974, saying it is one that 'requires continuous levels of investment'. 'The problem with public ownership is the Government always has other things it wants to spend its money on,' the former Wessex boss said. He argued that privatisation helped to get debt off the Government's balance sheet and boost investment but this changed when the 'wrong sort of investors' began stripping cash out of companies through high dividends. 'It was bloody criminal what happened – the amount of money that was stripped out of not just Thames (Water), but a number of companies,' he said. 'So we need that to change (in) the system. It's not so much about ownership, it's more about how you regulate it, how you control it, and how you make sure the investment continues.' It came as the Environment Department (Defra) announced an increase in funding for the Environment Agency from £114 million in 2022/23 to £189 million this current financial year, a sum which is understood to have been welcomed by the regulator. Ministers are also currently awaiting the publication of the independent water commission's final report and recommendations, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, which is expected in two weeks. The review is not exploring nationalisation as an option, with campaigners at the summit indicating they will continue to campaign on the issue following its publication. Ewan McGaughey, professor of law at King's College London, argued that the Government should take away licences from failing water companies and transition them into a long-term sustainable model of public ownership, calling privatisation in England a 'broken model'. Mr McGaughey said 90% of countries and cities around the world have water in public ownership and cited examples such as Berlin and Paris, which brought their sectors back into public ownership in 2013 and 2009 respectively after the privatised model failed. 'Bills go down. Water quality goes up. It's actually not really that controversial. You just have to look at the evidence, and you can see that public ownership works better,' he said. Cat Hobbs, founder and We Own It, which campaigns for public ownership of public services, said the Government's decision to not allow the independent review to explore nationalisation is a 'scandal'. 'That has to change. They still have time to change it,' she said, And Ashley Smith, founder of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), called privatisation a 'ludicrous scam', arguing that there has never been a single year since the firms were privatised when shareholders put in more money than they took out of the firms. Later, water minister Emma Hardy defended the Government's approach to reforming the sector. 'There's been a lack of sustained investment in the industry for an incredibly long time,' she told the summit. 'We have taken immediate action, but there are some things that, of course, are going to take longer to fix. 'We want to listen to you and we can have difference of opinion – that is absolutely fine but I want to make sure that we try and bring as many people with us as possible because fundamentally we're all trying to get to the same place and that place is an effective water system with reduced pollution which is better for customers and better for the environment.' Ms Hardy called the Cunliffe report a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise (the sector)' and said the Government will give a top-level reaction to the review before looking at any potential further legislation.
