After the driest and hottest weather on record, and drought being officially declared, St Albans Green party is leading calls for company Affinity Water to fix leaks, ban hosepipes and save the River Ver.
Water companies across the country have faced intense criticism over sewage pollution, leaky pipes and eye-watering profits. In St Albans, the River Ver recently ran completely dry along much of its length.
Green campaigner Matt Fisher said: “Private water companies have completely failed. They need to be forced to act on leaks, sewage, and efficiency, then taken back into public ownership as soon as possible.
St Albans Green councillor Simon Grover said: “If we have a dry winter, we could be looking at standpipes in the streets next year.”
A spokesperson for Affinity Water said: “We are committed to leaving more water in the environment and have reduced abstraction from Chalk stream catchments by 63 million litres per day since 1990 levels.
“We have plans to reduce abstraction by a further 36.37 million litres per day from chalk catchments by the end of the 2024/25 reporting year. This includes an abstraction reduction of 9.39 million litres of water per day from sources in the Ver catchment, building upon earlier reductions of 18.82 million litres per day in the catchment.”
Cllr Simon Grover responded by saying: “What Affinity don’t tell you is that the reduction they are planning will take place downstream of the lake, so will make no difference to the water going in there!”
You can sign the petition to stop Affinity Water from taking water from the Ver here https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-affinity-taking-water-from-the-ver
0 Comments