Drought ban could have been worse
May 18th 2006 Environment Minister Ian Pearson last week granted Sutton and East Surrey Water’s request for a drought order, paving the way for further bans across the South East. However, what initially appeared a disaster for many small businesses may not be as bleak as feared. Pearson has urged the water companies to be socially and economically responsible in their implementation of the ban – and they appear to be listening.
The order, which is valid for six months, means the company can restrict or prohibit what it considers to be non-essential uses of water. Yet Sutton and East Surrey is keen to impress upon its customers that the order need not be a commercial disaster.
“We are attempting to try and implement the order with as little affect as possible to businesses,” company spokesperson Liz Thorne told Cleaning Matters. “As a rule anything that requires being attached to the mains is banned. But if, for example, you had to clean an aeroplane, there is nothing to say that water cannot be taken from our source and put into a tank. Provided it is not connected directly to the mains, it is not banned. We are taking a phased approach, of which this is the first step. We will will implement phase two and phase three if we feel they are necessary.”
Window cleaners, which had been concerned by the company’s initial response (that there were “other jobs in the area”) will also be able to carry on working using water fed poles - provided they are not attached directly to the mains. They are asked to clean lower level windows using squeegees where necessary. Sutton and East Surrey has also made an exception for the cleaning of industrial premises and the cleaning of offensive graffiti from buildings.
Glyn Howard, owner of a window cleaning firm and managing director of water-fed pole manufacturer, Omnipole, says he is delighted with the outcome. “Defra gave the water company carte blanche in terms of responsibility. But despite an initial hard line approach, Sutton and East Surrey have made some valuable concessions – and I would be very surprised if the other water companies didn’t follow its lead.”
According to Howard, alongside himself, Ionic founder Craig Mawlam and the Federation of Window Cleaners council member Steve Lowe spent hundreds of hours spearheading the drive to exclude water-fed poles from the ban. Lowe said the health and safety issue was crucial in securing the exemption, as window cleaners would have been forced to put their lives at risk as a direct result of the water company’s measures. “Thankfully, all the hard work has paid off,” he said. Lowe also runs a cleaning business which will be affected by the ban, but says it will be possible for most cleaning firms to work around the ban using different cleaning methods. He says the Federation will now be issuing guidance on efficient use of water.
Despite the relative good news for local business, Sutton and East Surrey is still concerned for the region’s longer term future. It claims April rainfall in the company’s supply area was 18% below the long-term average, continuing the worst drought in the South East of England for nearly 100 years.
“This is very worrying,” said Mike Hegarty, Sutton and East Surrey Water’s Operations Director. “The recharge period has effectively ended with the onset of warmer weather and the growing season. It is highly unlikely that any of the recent rain will sink into the aquifer. This means we are entering the summer period with resources at historic lows.
“While we are confident that we have enough water to see us through the summer, we are very concerned about the longer term and, in particular, the possibility of another third dry winter which would almost certainly lead to severe restrictions. We have never been in this situation before.”
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